Character Lead Hand

Heritage Park Historical Village; Calgary; On-site; CAD 30,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job description

Department: Programming & Experience - Interpretation

Position Type: Seasonal

Hourly Rate: $17.50

Contract Start Date: April 7, 2025

Contract End Date: October 13, 2025

Hours: 9:30 am to 5:00 pm

What we offer:

• Flexible work arrangements where no one day is similar
• Working in a beautiful park setting
• Free entrance to the Park, including to our many public special events
• Employee discounts on food and retail items and free parking

Who We Are:

Heritage Park is Canada's largest living history museum and offers visitors a chance to experience life in Western Canada from the 1860s to the early 1950s. The Park features historical buildings, costumed interpreters, working antiques, and various exhibits that provide insight into the region's past.

Job Overview:

Under direction of the Artistic Production Coordinator, the Character Lead Hand supports daily aspects of Character interpretation, including the leadership & mentoring of seasonal staff and volunteers, ensuring that the standards of the production/scenes are maintained.

Responsibilities:

Operational Support

• Assists in the training and mentoring of Character Interpreters & volunteer Townsfolk
• Coordinates daily work assignments during shift, while supervising staff and volunteers who provide Character interpretation for Park guests ensuring standards are maintained
• Arranges for emergency relief and/or makes changes to the production/scenes as required; properly communicates changes to Front Gate staff, Exhibit Lead Hands and any other park operations that will be affected
• Attends daily Interpretive morning meeting to relay information to team members
• Helps prepare production sites/scenes — providing Character Interpreters & Townsfolk with information as required, and organizing and distributing props for use; while also ensuring they are safely maintained and stowed when not in use
• Ensures production areas are operated in accordance with prescribed standards of safety, security and cleanliness
• Act as a leader in event of emergency and ensuring proper paperwork is completed as needed
• Track the expected weather conditions and make changes as required to scenes, while ensuring changes are communicated to appropriate parties
• Communicates staff issues & conflicts that they cannot resolve to the Artistic Production Coordinator in a timely manner
• Provides feedback on the performance of Character Interpreters to the Artistic Production Coordinator
• Provide an exceptional visitor experience through friendly and courteous interactions with guests, staff, and volunteers, using polite greetings, actively acknowledging guests, and handling situations positively
• Create a welcoming atmosphere for visitors with a customer-focused approach, providing courteous and friendly answers to inquiries and valuable information to enhance the overall visitor experience
• Performs other duties as required

Organizational Excellence and Wellbeing

• Contribute to inspiring and immersive experiences at the Park through your roles and responsibilities by engaging in Heritage Park initiatives that align with the overall mission and vision of the Park
• Demonstrate commitment to workplace health and safety by complying with Heritage Park's Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSEMS), following safe work practices, reporting work-related incidents, injuries and hazards, participating in employer training, and adhering policies including the Code of Conduct and the Workplace Violence and Harassment policy
• Actively support a positive work environment by creating an atmosphere of inclusion, engagement and fulfillment in line with Heritage Park values
• Demonstrate responsible stewardship of our people, collections and financial assets by ensuring that they are handled with integrity, sustainability, and a focus on long-term benefits for the organization and its stakeholders

Required Qualifications:

• Completion of secondary school education is required. Enrolment or completion of post-secondary education in related areas (Theatre, Drama, Improv, historical interpretation, western Canadian history) is an asset; a combination of Theatrical experience, communication skills, and supervisory skills will be considered
• Experience as a Character Interpreter or Historical Interpreter at Heritage Park is preferred
• Strong theatrical ability
• Demonstrated responsible leadership skills and the ability to approach tasks independently
• Strong organizational, supervisory and communication skills
• Experience working with diverse groups of people
• Confident in engaging with large groups of people and has strong public speaking skills
• Flexibility and adaptability to changing situations
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication skills in a client-faced setting
• All successful candidates (over the age of 18) will be required to go through Police Information Check as a condition of employment.

Special Clothing and Equipment:

• Appropriate costuming and safety equipment will be provided by Heritage Park
• Footwear, as designated by the Heritage Park Costume Department, will be provided by the employee

Special Working Conditions:

• The position will be exposed to weather extremes as it predominantly works outdoors
• This position is physically demanding, and the incumbent must have the ability to stand for long periods of time and walk throughout the Park for extended periods

Hours of Work:

• Rehearsals are mandatory for all Character Interpreters.
• 2025 Rehearsal dates: April 7th to May 16th.
• Performances run 7 days a week from May 17 to September 1, 2025 (9:30am to 5:00pm).
• FT hours are 35 hours a week with two days off. Part-time positions are also available.
• Some work is available for performers to continue performing weekends from September 6 to October 13, 2025.

Audition Details:

Auditions will be held February 7, 8 and 9th at Heritage Park. Deadline to apply is February 7th, 2025. Selected candidates will have to perform a prepared monologue, a short song and a cold read. Full details will be sent to candidates selected to audition.

Heritage Park is committed to diverse, inclusive casting. There will be a focus on casting a few roles of Black and Asian descent. We thank all applicants for their interest; however only those considered for an audition will be contacted directly.