Artistic and Executive Director

Company Overview

Imago Theatre was founded in 1987 and is a Montreal-based English-language theatre company. The company is an artist-run organization, non-venued, and its programming is rooted in a feminist ethos and artistic practice that centres the diverse stories, voices, and experiences of women and gender diverse people.

Every season the company programs one to two productions, several artist programs and partners with local, national and international arts organizations. Its commitment to artist mentorship is reflected through ARTISTA, a free mentorship program for young gender diverse and women artists; Nested Circles, an Indigenous led mentorship program that pairs newcomer and Montreal artists; the Creators Circle, which offers mentorship to emerging and established gender-diverse and women theatre makers, and the 2.0 Project, which mentors emerging producers. Imago’s commitment to accessibility is reflected in its Pay-What-You-Decide policy, Relaxed Performances, Access Guides, French Surtitles, a Commitment to Care Policy for artist and audiences and its community engagement through post-show talkbacks with invited guest speakers, and its outreach to schools.

The company is committed to reflecting the diversity that exists in our communities, and is committed to working - with humility, care and accountability - to ensure that our programming and decision-making honour our evolving values of equity and responsiveness.

You can view Imago’s programming on our WEBSITE.

You can also learn more about Imago here:
ETHOS, ACCESSIBILITY, PRODUCTION ARCHIVES

Job Description

ABOUT THE POSITION

The Artistic and Executive Director, in collaboration with the Imago team and Board of Directors, leads the artistic vision of the company; oversees the creative work and programming; supports the work of emerging and established artists through creative and community-building initiatives; manages and secures funding and resources; and participates in the organization’s strategic planning. Imago is seeking an individual with a vibrant creative practice as a theatre artist and strong leadership skills who embraces a lateral decision-making model. Working within a core team of four, they will contribute to and evolve the vision of the organization.

Role and Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the team to select, plan, and program plays for each season that align with the organization’s mission, values, and operating budget

• Serve as the public face of the organization and a spokesperson with media and partners

• Select and collaborate with the company’s core team members

• Set and oversee the production schedule for the season, along with selecting and collaborating with all artistic and creative teams

• Seek out and support emerging and established artists with available resources

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local and national arts communities and producing partners (attending shows, workshops and conferences, and meeting with artists and artistic companies)

• Support and evolve community-building, audience development, and outreach initiatives such as the Imago show talkbacks, school programs and the Pay-What-You-Decide initiative

• Build and maintain partnerships with funding bodies, sponsors, donors and audiences, through playing a key role in fundraising strategies, grant writing, communications, public relations, as well as branding and marketing

• In collaboration with the Board of Directors, develop and execute the strategic plan, operational priorities, and overall organizational budget

• Report regularly to the Board of Directors

WHO IMAGO NEEDS 
We are looking for a visionary and collaborative theatre artist with the following qualifications, skills and values:

• A dynamic artistic practice (in any theatre discipline) and relevant background and experience

• A strong commitment to Imago’s values of equal representation, cultural diversity, environmental activism, and accessibility in the arts

• A desire to lead within a lateral decision-making structure

• The capacity to nurture and offer mentorship to artists in theatre creation/dramaturgy and to Imago team members in arts administration and fundraising

• A strong working knowledge of local and national theatre artists and communities

• Knowledge of arts administration/management, including grant writing, fundraising and strategic planning

• Knowledge of producing, scheduling, and budgeting principles

• Given that this company produces English language plays, candidates must possess excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills in English

• Candidates should demonstrate a minimum intermediate proficiency in French, equivalent to Level 7 on the Québec French-language proficiency scale (approximately B1+/B2 CEFR)

• Experience and interest in innovative audience development initiatives (including but not limited to events, marketing, communications, and public relations) are assets

Terms and compensation

This is a part-time contract position, for 9 months spread over the season of 11 months. Working dates/hours are on a flexible schedule to be negotiated by the Artistic Director with the team and Board of Directors at the start of each season.

Total compensation of $39,600 ($4,400 per month).

Start date is August 1, 2027 (negotiable).