Summary
More Details
Head of Programming
Permanent, Part time (3 days per week)
£47,000 – £50,000 pro rata (dependent on experience)
Chichester Festival Theatre is one of the UK’s flagship theatres, renowned for the exceptionally high standard of its productions and its work with the community and young people.
CFT is both a producing and a presenting theatre. Funded by Arts Council England, our on-stage work is produced during the summer months from April to October (the Festival Season) and touring (presented) work is presented in the winter months from late October to the end of February (the Presented Season). The presented season is an integral part of CFTs year-round Artistic Programme as it provides variation to the overall programme with classic plays, new work, musicals, concerts, comedy nights, one nighters and dance as well as productions for our younger audiences. The winter programme generates 35% of the annual box office income.
Reporting to the Artistic Director, the Head of Programming is responsible for the programming and delivery of the presented winter season in addition to having an oversight of the Events programme which runs throughout the year.
The successful candidate will work alongside the Artistic and Executive Director and the Producing team to build a cohesive and integrated approach to year-round programming at CFT. The Head of Programming will select a diverse range of work for both the Festival and Minerva Theatre stages which will complement the produced summer Festival season and the year-round The Nest programme (CFT’s latest small-scale venue) and will also speak to our values. The Head of Programming will also manage the programming of the full events schedule (to include all elements of Events programming) and ensure cohesion of events across the whole organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Support the Artistic and Executive Director by curating a programme of work for the Winter season that realises the overall artistic vision of CFT as outlined in the Business Plan
Lead on the programming of the Festival and Minerva Theatres to include an eclectic mix of work/ genres to include 1-2 week-long plays / musicals and single night performances
Proactively maintain excellent working relationships with commercial and venue producers and tour bookers
Alongside members of the Producing team, scout out potential national and international touring work for the CFT winter programme – seeing work where possible
Lead on the negotiation of visiting contracts, revising the current VISCO agreement, maximising income for CFT and ensuring that both marketing and technical contra deals accurately reflect CFT costs
Lead on the welfare and needs of visiting artists, companies and creative teams and their interaction with the rest of the CFT team ensuring a presence during the get in and first performances
Work alongside the Technical Director and Technical HODs to schedule and deliver productions into CFT venues on time, within the CFT technical guidelines, adhering to the agreed technical contra
Work with the Director of Communications and Head of Marketing to set realistic targets, ticket prices and yields to reflect the best deal for CFT and communicate these to the visiting producers
With the Marketing team, ensure that all marketing material and artwork is received in good time for the annual Winter Brochure
Work with the Artistic Planning team to develop and coordinate artistic planning systems and documents to ensure excellent lines of communication and working relationships with all departments
Alongside the Head of Customer Operations, consider merchandise options for all visiting productions, negotiating the best deal for CFT
Lead on hiring out the Festival and Minerva theatres for local community use
Ensure that CFT adheres to PPL / PRS (Performing Rights Society) royalties, music copyright and licencing requirements and that payments are made on time where necessary
Manage all winter programme budget codes
Work with the finance team on visiting company settlements, ensuring that they are paid accurately and on time
Present the Winter season programme annually to the Board of Trustees, sharing the line up and answering questions accordingly
Work alongside the events coordinators (Development, LEAP, Festival Events) to provide a holistic, year-round programme that complements the winter and summer seasons
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
A history of working at a senior level within an arts environment
Significant experience of programming professional theatre productions at a senior level on the mid and large scale
Experience of programming a range of different theatre and performance events within a venue
Successful and long-standing working relationships with commercial producers and venue managers
Significant experience of contract negotiation and of the contractual process for programmed work
An understanding of the general terms of the VISCO agreement
Budgetary management, financial acumen and an understanding of spreadsheets
Ability to think strategically, work under pressure and contribute to leadership across the organisation
A passion for seeing shows and a knowledge of current and up and coming theatre productions / companies
Desirable Criteria
A sound knowledge of a variety of different genres and the companies / promoters who tour the work
A commitment to regional theatre and an understanding of the place it plays in its community
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Flexible approach to working, including the ability to work unsociable hours to meet the needs of the role
Full details of the role, how to apply and about working with CFT can be found on our website : https://www.cft.org.uk/jobs/head-of-programming
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