PROJECTS CO-ORDINATOR

							                                Community and Participation Manager
                                        Almeida Projects

                                              Background

Almeida Projects is the Almeida Theatre’s Creative Learning department, delivering a diverse range of
theatre-based learning opportunities inspired by the main-house programme. Since 2002 our main aim
has been:

To inspire the theatre-makers, theatre-goers and theatre-lovers of the future.

Each year we provide over 10,000 opportunities for young people to participate in projects led by
experienced industry professionals inspired by our producing theatre.

‘There is no other programme in London like this. It really does offer opportunities that so many
other theatres try to offer but fail.’
Supporter


Almeida Projects Key Priority Areas for 2012-15

    1. Position the Almeida Theatre as an industry leader in celebrating the production of artistically
       excellent theatre made with and for young audiences;
    2. Raise the local, national and global profile of Almeida Projects, facilitating more audiences to
       experience and be inspired by the theatre’s work;
    3. Achieve financial security through sustainable, innovative and entrepreneurial approaches;
    4. Provide increased training opportunities and deepened engagement for Young Friends of the
       Almeida, trainees and freelance staff across the organisation; up-skilling the cultural workforce
       and future leaders;
    5. Act as a flagship organisation, enabling young people of Islington and beyond to access and
       experience enriching arts provision.


Community and Participation

Current activity:

    Young Friends of the Almeida - a membership programme for young people aged 15-21 (or 25 if
     in full time education), the Young Friend of the Almeida scheme offers workshops, durational
     projects and workplace learning opportunities, led by industry professionals and drawing on the
     Almeida’s position as a producing theatre. It allows young people who have engaged with the
     Almeida in a formal setting the opportunity to continue that relationship independently, to socialise
     with like-minded young people and develop their skills and knowledge of theatre. Projects include:
▫    Happy Mondays (Subsidised Tickets and introductory workshops for individuals)
▫    Young Friend Creative Board: Youth-led advisory board, mirroring Almeida staff structure
▫    An annual project resulting in run of performances on the Almeida stage
▫    MiniLABs: term-based performance projects resulting in informal presentations
▫    ColLAB: performance project delivered in collaboration with external company [proposed work in
     development]
▫    ScriptLAB: term-based script writing project resulting in informal sharing
▫    YFTC: term-based devising programme resulting in performance tours to local schools
▫    Half-Term Master classes: workshop series drawing on industry specialists for 1-day skills building
    Almeida Academy (launched January 2012) - a new programme of Saturday drama classes for
     young people aged 5 to 14. The Almeida Academy is primarily about having fun and nurturing a
     love of theatre; encouraging all young people to gain confidence, become inspired and develop
     creative their talents.



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                                            Job Description

The Community and Participation Manager is a key role in this busy but small core team, consisting of
four full-time members of staff: Director of Projects, Community and Participation Manager, Projects
Administrator and Projects Admin Assistant. Almeida Projects is further supported by the wider Almeida
team and freelance artists engaged on a project by project basis.

You will be required to engage with, and lead on, a range of tasks - both creative and administrative - in
order to realise projects with Young Friends of the Almeida and the Almeida Academy.

You will support the work of the Director of Projects building relationships with community partners. You
will also work with the Director in the delivery of the Trainee Workshop Leader scheme.

The bulk of your work concentrates on young people outside of their school/college setting. The
Community and Participation Manager fully manages the Almeida Academy and Young Friend of the
Almeida scheme, including the Young Friend Creative Board (the staffing structure of the Creative
Board loosely mirrors that of the Almeida’s, and Creative Board members work closely with their
equivalent staff member to ensure that the scheme is operated and promoted successfully).

The Young Friend of the Almeida (YFA) membership scheme is open to young people from across
London aged between 15 and 25 (in full time education) and aims to build sustainable, lasting
relationships with the audience and artists of the future. Currently YFA has over 500 members.

Almeida Academy is a new programme of Saturday drama-based activities for 5-14s. The Community
and Participation Manager is responsible for devising and overseeing all activities relating to these
schemes, and to identify for enterprising ways to develop the work further.




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COMMUNITY AND PARTICIPATION MANAGER

Reports to:              Director of Projects
Responsible for:         Freelance artists and workshop leaders on a project by project basis
Works with:              Projects Administrator and Projects Admin Assistant


PRINCIPAL AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Young Friend of the Almeida (YFA) Scheme
    Acting as first point of contact for YFA participants
    Manage the YFA Creative Board – recruiting members and leading fortnightly meetings to help
      to shape the programme of activity and promote it to other young people.
    Work with other Almeida Theatre staff who support Creative Board members – training them,
      supporting expectations and ensuring work load is appropriate.
    Devise and lead other YFA events, including recruitment days, LAB and MiniLABs, Half-term
      Masterclasses, The Young Friends Touring Company and other bespoke YFA activities, and
      recruit and train creative teams/freelancers where necessary
    Devise and lead Happy Mondays workshops for each production, and recruit and train creative
      teams/freelancers where necessary.
    Working with the Director of Projects to expand the reach and potential of the YFA scheme
    Organising, participating in and documenting rigorous planning and evaluation of each YFA
      project
    Actively promote the scheme and attend all YFA events


Almeida Academy
    Acting as first point of contact for Almeida Academy participants and their guardians
    Managing external and internal space bookings, ensuring that provision is scheduled
       consistently
    Managing sensitive participant data, contact databases and attendance registers
    Manage the Almeida Academy freelance team and YFA facilitators; recruiting and training
       creative teams/freelancers where necessary
    Collaborate with the Marketing department on the active promotion of the Academy, recruitment
       of participants and documentation (photography/ video).
    Collaborate with Box Office on Academy sales, ensuring that seasons are programmed in a
       timely fashion
    Working with the Director of Projects to expand the reach and potential of the Almeida
       Academy scheme, exploring entrepreneurial approaches to its sustainability
    Organising, participating in and documenting rigorous planning and evaluation of the Academy


Administration
    In collaboration with the Projects Administrator, liaising with General Manager, Head of
      Production, Theatre Manager and Administrator regarding schedules and support for YFA
      activities and use of the stage or rehearsal room for YFA workshops, identifying and booking
      external space as required
    Liaising with Box Office Supervisor and Theatre Manager to ensure all Front of House support
      needs are met for YFA presentations at the Almeida Theatre
    Attendance of fortnightly inter-departmental meetings


Training and Accreditation
     In collaboration with the Director of Projects you will support in the delivery of the PG Certificate
       in Applied Theatre with Young People (Facilitation) which is offered in partnership with the
       Central School of Speech and Drama
     Support the delivery of Introduction to Facilitation courses for both young people and industry
       professionals
     Planning and delivery of Arts Award for YFA activity




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Resource Materials and Publicity Material
    Working with the Marketing department on the creation and distribution of YFA promotional
      material
    Working with Projects Administrator and Projects Admin Asst on the production of YFA
      Newsletters
    Contributing the practical exercises to Happy Mondays/ Educational resource packs
    In collaboration with the Marketing department and Projects Administrator, create invites to and
      basic programmes for YFA presentations
    Liaising with the Marketing Department over use of images and secondary source material, and
      managing photography release
    Attendance at all Projects events including presentations and Happy Mondays


Digital
     Contributing to the Almeida Website where appropriate
     Management of YFA and Almeida Projects social media platforms (facebook, twitter)


Development
    Attending Development Events as necessary


Finance and Enterprise
     Managing budgetary expenditure for all Community and Participation projects
     Exploring entrepreneurial approaches to add value to new and existing work


Other
       Writing Introductory Workshops for use in educational resources
       Attending internal meetings as necessary
       Other office duties as required
       Any other appropriate tasks as required by the Director of Projects




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PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential
    A genuine and demonstrable passion for fostering creative ideas amongst all members of the
       community, especially young people from diverse backgrounds
    A proven track record of artistic and administrative leadership of high-quality projects in
       community and/or youth arts contexts
    Understanding of community arts and/or educational organisations
    Experience and flair for co-ordinating teams
    Experience of working in a professional office environment
    Ability to work independently and as part of a team
    Experience of working on a number of projects at once
    Excellent communication skills: written and verbal
    Computer literacy and skills with Word, Excel, Outlook, Internet Explorer
    Experience of managing budgets
    Good general numeracy
    Experience of undertaking research
    Experience or demonstrable interest in using digital media (website, SMS) to communicate with
       partner groups
    Ability to work with a wide range of individuals from young people to funders
    Ability to multi-task, delivering numerous projects simultaneously, occasionally under pressure

Desirable
    Experience of professional theatre work
    Experience of directing, devising and/or dramaturgy
    Skills in design and delivery of accredited learning- PG Certs, BTEC, Arts Awards etc.
    Experience of using desk-top publishing software e.g. Quark or similar
    Experience of working with digital media (training can be provided)
    Experience of creating resource materials
    Awareness of health and safety policy specifically experience of producing risk assessments


Remuneration and Hours
 Hours - Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm, with weekend and evening work as required, for which lieu
  time may be arranged
 Holiday – 20 days per annum pro rata leading to 25 days after 2 years
 Reports to the Director of Projects
 Salary – circa £25,750 per annum depending on experience
 Pension – 3 % contribution, if matched by the employee, after 6 months service
 The position is based predominantly at the Almeida Theatre administration office and rehearsal
  room at 108 Upper Street, London N1, however often requires off-site working
 This appointment is subject to a three-month probationary period
 The post-holder must be prepared to undergo a CRB check with the Criminal Records Bureau in
  accordance with our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy.

Interviews
The interview process may involve a practical demonstration of workshop-leading skills after the first
round of interviews. Information about this will be provided if relevant.

Applications
An application form should be completed and returned by 12 noon Monday 28 May 2012 to:
Recruitment, Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London, N1 1TA or by email to
recruitment@almeida.co.uk

If you would like to discuss this role in more detail, please contact EJ Trivett (Director of
Projects) in confidence on 0207 288 4916




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