Baylis Assistant Director

Disability Arts; London; On-site; Full time

Job summary

Disability Arts is seeking a Baylis Assistant Director for The Old Vic’s production of A Christmas Carol. This unique opportunity provides aspiring directors to work closely with industry professionals, enhance their skills, and connect with the theatre's broader community. The role is supported by the Florence Kleiner Bursary for candidates residing outside of London.

Benefits

Florence Kleiner Bursary for living expenses

Mentoring throughout placement

Press Night invites

Opportunities for production workshops

Qualifications

• Experience directing professional productions.
• Commitment to becoming a professional theatre director.
• Ability to articulate experience and style.

Responsibilities

• Assist the director in all aspects of the production.
• Support with preparation work and departmental collaborations.
• Attend development events and engage in community outreach.

Skills

Directing

Production Management

Networking

Education

Professional Production Experience

Job description

Department/Team:Production

Responsible to:The Associate Director and General Manager

Contract:Fixed Term Contract

Location:The Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Salary:£828.60 – £905.59 per week

Introduction

The Baylis Assistant Director scheme was initially launched during season two of Matthew Warchus’ tenure in order to open up The Old Vic’s paid assistant director positions to a wider range of director talent. It is a short term attachment to The Old Vic, providing unique opportunities for aspiring directors to work with and learn from experienced professionals in the industry.

The scheme stands out in that it also builds on the role, offering the opportunity for selected candidates to connect further with The Old Vic and become embedded in all areas of our work.

Our next Baylis Assistant Director opportunity will be to assist Matthew Warchus and his associate, Jamie Manton on The Old Vic’s forthcoming production ofA Christmas Carol.

Thanks to specific funding from the Florence Kleiner Foundation The Old Vic is able to offer a Florence Kleiner Bursary to an eligible Baylis Assistant Director candidate. The Bursary will be an enhancement to the Baylis Assistant Director position and facilitate additional activity and support offered solely to the Bursary recipient. Please note the eligibility criteria for this position below prior to applying.

A Christmas Carol

Matthew Warchus’ big-hearted, smash hit production of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic returns to The Old Vic, joyously adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, His Dark Materials).

A Christmas Carol fills the auditorium to the brim with mince pies, music and merriment. A unique staging immerses the audience in London’s longest running adaptation of this beloved festive favourite.

The Role
The Baylis Assistant Director onA Christmas Carolwill be working on the rehearsal period as well as the run of a Christmas Carol spanning 12 November 2025 – 10 January 2026. During this time the Baylis Assistant Director will:

• Act as an Assistant Director to Matthew Warchus alongside the Associate team.
• Support with preparation work on behalf of the Director and Associate team.
• Spend time with other departments in the building, becoming part of The Old Vic family, networking with staff and learning from creatives.
• Act as an ambassador and attend Development events where appropriate, learning about how the funding model works for an unsubsidised not-for-profit theatre.
• The Baylis Assistant Director might also be called upon to assist with casting the production, and collaborate with our education and community outreach work.

Fees
Fees will be in line with the Society of London Theatre and UK Equity rates at the time for Assistant Directors.

The payment details here are for The Old Vic’s performance run ofA Christmas Carolonly.

The Florence Kleiner Bursary

As part of our commitment to attracting talent outside of London, to increase wider representation at Director level in theatre and to remove the financial obstacles that often prevent candidates from applying, The Old Vic are delighted to offer a Florence Kleiner Bursary to the successful candidate in addition to the Baylis Assistant Director residency fee. This bursary seeks to provide an emerging director, currently based outside of London, with a year-long attachment to The Old Vic.

The Old Vic is working actively to ensure emerging directors from the regions are fairly represented. Our aim is to reach out to those that might not otherwise assume they would be eligible for the role.

The Florence Kleiner Bursary is£14,000across 12 months and will be offered for living expenses to include relocation costs, rent, food and travel in addition to and any other paid work at The Old Vic or otherwise throughout the year.

The successful candidate will receive the following:

• Mentoring throughout the placement
• Setting needs out at the outset
• Checking in throughout the year and
• Preparing for next step after residency comes to an end
• Press Night invites so that they remain connected to the theatre’s productions throughout the year
• Invitations via the Connect network to build connections with like-minded theatre makers
• Opportunities to take part in production workshops
• Facilitator roles on Old Vic Education programmes
• Opportunities to assist on Old Vic supporting programmes subject to the needs of the theatre

Person specification

• Based on the intention of the Florence Kleiner bursary, those applying for this role must reside in regions outside of London. By definition, The Old Vic considers ‘outside of London’ to be 60 miles or more from Charing Cross in line with the SOLT-Equity agreement.

Ideal candidates for this role also will:

• Have directed at least one professional production (not rehearsed readings or runs of less than 3 weeks), and/or assisted on a number of professional productions
• Have experience working on large scale productions
• Demonstrate a genuine commitment to becoming a professional theatre director
• Be able to articulate their experience thus far in defining their approach, style and taste and how this fits with The Old Vic’s daring programming

The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS check as the role may interact with vulnerable adults and/or children.