DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND FACILITIES
Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT)
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Job summary
Canadian Stage is seeking a Director of Production and Facilities to lead production and facility operations across four Toronto venues. The role combines artistic ambition with strong budgeting, scheduling and safety leadership to deliver high-quality theatre experiences.
You will manage a diverse team, oversee unions and contracts, plan long-term capital and maintenance, and collaborate with artistic and executive leadership to align resources with the season's ambitions.
Qualifications
- Extensive technical theatre production experience.
- Senior-level production or operations leadership in a professional theatre.
- Proven ability to lead production teams in a complex environment.
- Experience managing large production budgets and departmental resources.
- Experience with unions and collective agreements (IATSE, CAEA).
- Experience managing facilities, capital projects and building operations.
- Ability to oversee multiple concurrent productions and priorities.
- Experience recruiting and developing staff.
- Strong health and safety knowledge and practices.
- Ability to navigate decisions balancing artistic, financial and operational priorities.
Responsibilities
- Deliver productions of the highest artistic quality.
- Close management of resources and budgets for productions.
- Future planning of financial and human resources for seasons and development.
- Lead Production Department to foster health, safety, respect, accountability.
- Oversee facilities and building operations.
- Maintain positive relationships with artists and partner organizations.
- Ensure compliance with unions and contracts.
- Develop and maintain production calendars and schedules.
- Ensure safety of performers, crew and audience.
- Provide guidance to Technical Director and department heads.
Skills
Tools
Job description
Canadian Stage is one of the country’s leading not-for-profit contemporary performing arts organizations. Sharing innovative work from Canada and across the world, the company stages an annual season across four Toronto venues, including its beautiful heritage building on Berkeley and Front Street, in the vibrant St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.
Canadian Stage is one of the country’s leading not-for-profit contemporary performing arts organizations. Sharing innovative work from Canada and across the world, the company stages an annual season across four Toronto venues, including its beautiful heritage building on Berkeley and Front Street, in the vibrant St. Lawrence Market neighbourhood.
In its long and storied history, Canadian Stage has employed thousands of artists and produced hundreds of new productions to over 5,000,000 audience members, including the premieres of 350+ new Canadian works. Many of the plays developed by Canadian Stage have been awarded and nominated for Canada’s most prestigious literary and performing arts honours, including Governor General's, Chalmers, and Dora Mavor Moore Awards.
Canadian Stage is entering an exciting period of growth and renewal, with ambitious programming across its four venues and an ongoing commitment to strengthening the systems, people and infrastructure that support artists and audiences.
Reporting jointly to the Artistic Director and the Executive Director, the Director of Production and Facilities is a senior leader responsible for ensuring that Canadian Stage's artistic ambitions are supported by excellent production, operational and facilities practices. The Director oversees the people, resources, systems and infrastructure required to safely and successfully deliver Canadian Stage's productions and activities across its four venues.
- Delivery of productions of the highest artistic quality possible
- Close management of organizational resources and adherence to budgets in the execution of productions
- Accurate future planning of financial and human resources for the realization of Canadian Stage’s seasons and new work development activities
- Leads the Production Department in maintaining a culture of health, safety, respect and accountability, ensuring that policies and practices are understood, implemented and consistently followed.
- Proactive oversight of Canadian Stage’s facilities
- Maintenance of positive relationships with the artists and organizations that make up the Canadian Stage community
- Extensive technical theatre production experience.
- Significant senior-level experience in professional theatre production and/or performing arts operations within PACT.
- Demonstrated experience leading production teams in a complex environment.
- Significant experience developing and managing large production and departmental budgets.
- Demonstrated experience working with unions and collective agreements, particularly IATSE and Canadian Actors Equity Association.
- Experience managing facilities, capital projects, and building operations.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent productions and competing priorities.
- Experience recruiting, supervising, developing and retaining staff.
- Strong understanding of occupational health and safety requirements and practices.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate complex decisions involving artistic ambition, financial resources, operational capacity and risk.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication and negotiation skills.
- Thorough understanding of Canadian Stage’s mission, strategies, and programming.
- Experience with NetSuite, SharePoint, Airtable and Asana.
- Experience in a multi-venue performing arts organization.
- Experience with co-productions, touring or presentations.
The position requires regular evening and weekend work, particularly during technical rehearsals, previews, performances and other production periods.
fosters relationships and provides equitable opportunity across a diverse spectrum of people and organizations.
engages technicians, production personnel, artists and partner organizations in a manner that is respectful and clear; positively and timely communicates relevant issues of concern.
exercises sound, independent judgment in complex and sometimes ambiguous circumstances; identifies risks early, gathers appropriate information, consults effectively and makes timely decisions that balance artistic, financial, operational and human considerations.
leads by example, demonstrating Canadian Stage values in all aspects of their work while providing guidance and oversight to a range of staff members, collaborators and freelancers; with independent sound judgement, effectively manages productions to accomplish Canadian Stage’s mission and objectives.
delivers productions within recommended and approved budget and schedule parameters.
- Canadian Stage's productions are delivered safely, artistically ambitiously, on time and within approved resources.
- Production staff feel supported, accountable and proud of their work.
- Production planning is proactive rather than reactive.
- Artistic and operational teams work collaboratively and communicate effectively.
- Canadian Stage's buildings and production infrastructure are well maintained and strategically planned.
- The organization has a clear understanding of its production capacity and future resource needs.
- Canadian Stage maintains strong relationships with artists, unions, venues, partners and suppliers.
- In consultation with the Technical Director, allocates human and material resources among the Bluma Appel Theatre, Berkeley Theatres, High Park Amphitheatre, the Winter Garden Theatre, and any touring productions.
- In collaboration with the Executive Director, prepares and manages the Production Calendar;
- prepares and publishes individual production timetables, including design deadlines, construction starts, etc.
- ensures that the financial requirements of the Season Calendar are in line with the corporate budgets of the organization.
- Serves as a key advisor and partner to the Artistic Director and Executive Director in balancing artistic ambitions with financial, operational, technical and human-resource realities. Final budget approval rests with the Executive Director.
- In conjunction with the Technical Director, ensures that the production requirements of each production are met effectively and economically and on time.
- Keeps Artistic Director and Executive Director apprised of the status and related issues of all production problems.
- In conjunction with the Technical Director, maintains the budget of the Production.
- In conjunction with the Technical Director, and the Stage Manager, establishes the Production Schedule for each show.
- Provides advice and guidance as required to the Technical Director and to all Department Heads.
- Leads all production meetings.
- In conjunction with the Technical Director(s) ensure that all aspects of a production are safe both for the performers and crew and for the public.
- Authorizes overtime as required.
- Is present on a regular basis in the theatre, for all load-ins, tech weeks, preview periods and load-outs, as is appropriate.
- Attends technical and dress rehearsals and assists and advises the Technical Director as necessary.
- Builds and maintains a healthy, collaborative and accountable departmental culture.
- Provides clear expectations, feedback, supervision and support to production staff.
- Addresses conflict and performance issues promptly, fairly and constructively.
- Supports staff through periods of intense workload while maintaining sustainable and respectful working practices.
- Fosters strong working relationships between production, artistic, administrative and front-of-house departments.
- Chairs weekly Production Department Staff Meetings.
- Participates in weekly Producers meetings.
- Participates in weekly Programming meeting.
- Represents the Production Department at weekly senior staff meetings.
- Prepares and documents, under the management of the Artistic Director and the Executive Director, the annual production budgets, including all productions, production overhead, production facility maintenance, long term theatre maintenance, and capital acquisitions.
- Administers the production budgets as approved by the Executive Director, including, but not limited to:
- monitors all direct production expenses on a daily basis
- authorizes all direct production expenses, either directly or through Department heads
- maintains, with the assistance of the Technical Director and Production and Site Manager, a full set of Production Accounts, and labour cost records
- regular reports of all direct production budgets to the Artistic Director, Executive Director, and Director of Finance
- monitors and authorizes all production overhead expenses
- monitors and authorizes approved production related capital purchase and projects
- prepares any capital related financial reports required by the Executive Director
- works with Production Manager in the reconciliation of all co-productions.
- Approves all production related time sheets:
- prepares production payroll summary for the payroll department
- Responsible for the staffing of the Production Department:
- recruitment, supervision, performance management, professional development and retention of the Technical Director, Production and Site Manager, Building Operations Manager, and Head of Properties
- recruitment, supervision, and performance management of all seasonal production staff
- ensures that seasonal production staff compensation is accounted for in the company’s departmental, production, production overhead or corporate budgets, as applicable
- negotiates contracts for Stage Management and all Designers
- works with the Artistic Director and the Executive Director as appropriate on Stage Management and Designer relations, disciplinary matters and terminations.In conjunction with the Executive Director, negotiates and manages the IATSE and other collective bargaining contracts.
- Ensures that all Union agreements are respected.
- Ensures that all Federal and Provincial labour regulations are respected.
- In conjunction with the Health and Safety Committee, the Technical Director, House Manager(s) and Building Operations Manager, establishes and maintains Emergency Procedure Policies.
- In conjunction with Canadian Stage’s Joint Health and Safety Committee ensures that the facility operates in safe and responsible manner.
- Establishes and maintains Policies and Procedures as related to all areas of Production.
- Within Canadian Stage planning process, takes responsibility for production capital and infrastructure planning.
- In consultation with the Building Operations Manager, oversees Building and Operations budgets and activities, including maintenance and general upkeep, building security, and liaison with the City of Toronto
- Other related duties as assigned
- Working with the Artistic Director, Executive Director and senior leadership team to assess production capacity, identify operational risks and opportunities, and ensure that future programming plans are achievable within available financial, human and physical resources.
- Technical Director
- Production and Site Manager
- Building Operations Manager
- Head of Properties
- Contract and seasonal staff (Stage Managers, Production Coordinators, Productions Assistants, etc.)
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