Artistic Director

Company Overview

Odyssey Theatre is an award-winning professional theatre in Ottawa, known for its imaginative and visceral masked theatre productions that weave in related fairground arts including puppetry, physical theatre, Commedia and international forms of dance-theatre. We explore universal and contemporary themes through myth, folklore, and satire. 

Within this theatre form we:

• Pioneer new artistic directions;
• Create original Canadian plays;
• Present world classics to new generations;
• Collaborate with artists from culturally diverse traditions of mask and movement theatre;
• Serve the Ottawa theatre community, artists who work with Odyssey, and artists across Canada who specialize in our field;
• Enrich our audience’s experience of theatre, cultivate new audiences, and overcome barriers by bringing masked theatre into the community.

 Our programs include:

• Annual major open-air productions staged in Ottawa's heritage Strathcona Park;
• New Play Creation for works in our field;
• Specialized training for professional artists and youth;
• Odyssey’s World of Theatre Masks, a digital mask resource centre (launching in 2027);
• Community Outreach that engages underserved groups.

 As we enter our fourth decade, we are pursuing exciting plans for growth, including international collaborations and facility development.

Odyssey creates theatre on the traditional, unceded Territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin Nation. We are grateful for this opportunity and for the generations of people who have taken care of this land for thousands of years. 

Job Description

This is an opportunity to shape the artistic direction and future programming of a company that makes a distinctive contribution to Ottawa’s cultural life and to Canadian theatre.

We are seeking an Artistic Director with an imaginative vision, committed to achieving artistic excellence, advancing masked theatre as a contemporary art form, and furthering Odyssey’s impact, and engagement with audiences and communities.  The Artistic Director reports to the Board of Directors, while collaborating closely with the General Manager.

Key Responsibilities

Shape the vision -- Articulate a compelling artistic vision to guide the company and advance masked and physical theatre in Canada.

Curate – Plan and oversee seasons featuring a major production, a digital mask resource centre. training, new play creation, and community engagement activities.

Create – Undertake artistic work to advance your and the Company’s artistic practice.

Champion New Work -- Promote the creation original plays for masked theatre.

Build creative teams – Oversee the hiring of artistic staff.

Support Community – Build key relationships with diverse artists, audiences, and the public.

You bring:

• A passion and interest in Odyssey’s mandate, role and programs
• Experience in masked theatre and related forms such as puppetry and dance-theatre
• A track record of artistic leadership and high quality artistic practice
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Effective priority setting and organizational skills
• An ability to balance working independently and taking initiative while collaborating with the Board, General Manager, staff, artists and community stakeholders

This is a permanent, part-year position (8 months annually),  working in Ottawa for a meaningful portion of the year, especially during summer season.