Seeking Hysteria Festival Director
Buddies In Bad Times Theatre seeks a Festival Director to oversee artistic programming for its 6th Hysteria Festival, a biennial festival of interdisciplinary performance work by women artists. Buddies is looking for bold and visionary interpretations of Hysteria’s focus and mandate for its future incarnations.
Hysteria is an interdisciplinary performance festival with a focus on feminist and female performance practice and involves events ranging from visual art and performance installation to eclectic lineups featuring dance, film, music, live media arts and theatre performance. Hysteria is a partially submission-driven, partially curated festival. Since 2003, Hysteria has played host to established and emerging artists from across Canada, the United States and Europe - broadening our vision of not only women artists but of the very potential of art itself. The 6th Hysteria Festival will take place in fall 2011. The festival is produced by Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto, Canada.
The Hysteria Festival Director oversees all aspects of artistic programming, in consultation with Buddies’ Artistic Director, including: creating and distributing a call for submissions; curating, planning and organizing all festival events and activities; assisting in preparing grant applications for programming activities in conjunction with Buddies’ Artistic Director and Producer; working within a production budget in consultation with the General Manager and Head of Production; negotiating artist fees and coordinating presentation dates and details for visiting artists; fostering collaborations with presenting partners locally, nationally, and internationally.
Working closely with the Buddies Artistic Director, the Hysteria Festival Director will be responsible for:
•establishing and implementing the artistic vision of the 2011 Hysteria Festival,
•managing and maintaining budget as set forth by the Artistic Director and General Manager,
•creating and distributing a call for submissions and encouraging artists to apply,
•reading and assessing all submissions and coordinating a process of selection,
•providing input on grant applications,
•acting as a liaison between artists and the production department regarding technical elements,
•assisting in the creation of marketing materials in conjunction with the Artistic Director and Producer,
•writing curatorial statements and program notes,
•maintaining clear communication regarding artist fees, technical requirements and all relevant performance details with all festival participants leading up to the festival,
•attending a post-festival assessment and delivering a final report.
Qualifications:
The Hysteria Festival Director should have a background as a curator, performing artists or a strong background and in-depth knowledge of feminist performance theory and practice. Knowledge of the local Toronto performance context is useful. The Hysteria Festival Director should have:
•A minimum of 3 years curatorial experience;
•Extensive knowledge of contemporary performance and the theatre milieu in Canada and abroad;
•Proven grant and critical writing experience;
•Strong planning and organizational skills, with the ability to prioritize and manage several tasks simultaneously;
•Excellent verbal and written communication skills;
•A familiarity with diverse communities, including cultural, queer and gender-diversities, is essential.
•Self-motivation and the ability to work independently and collaboratively;
Please submit:
•a letter of intent (maximum 2 pages) introducing yourself and describing your vision for the festival*
•a list of artists of interest and a sample proposal for 5 days of programming
•a resume outlining relevant experience
•a list of three references
*Proposed collaborations between co-curators are also of interest. Please submit an additional page outlining your proposal for the curatorial collaboration as part of your letter of intent.
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre is committed to employment equity. We encourage applications from queer, First Nations, transgendered, two-spirited, women of colour, artists and curators as well as artists and curators with disabilities.
We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
The deadline for applications is Monday October 11th, 5PM.
Send to:
Brendan Healy, Artistic Director
Re: Hysteria Festival Director
Buddies in Bad Times Theatre
12 Alexander Street, Toronto, ON M4Y 1B4
Or email: brendan@buddiesinbadtimes.com
For more information on past festivals go to: www.buddiesinbadtimes.com
