Batley And Spen Youth Theatre Company

Following last year’s hugely successful production of Les Miserables, the Company are looking for a producer to lead them in this year’s production, and the company into the future. Full details of the role and background are as follows:-

BATLEY & SPEN YOUTH THEATRE COMPANY LTD

Producer/Project Manager Job Description

Batley & Spen Youth Theatre Company Ltd is seeking to appoint a Producer/Project Manager on a fixed term freelance contract for c3 months to run the company’s 2018 summer project – Deeds Not Words. Please find below a job description, alongside a brief summary of BSYTC, and a person specification to help you with your application. A project briefing note is also attached.

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is Friday 1st June. We regret that applications received after that date cannot be considered.

Please submit the following to Donna Munday on [email protected]:

A cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) stating why you are applying for the position and how you

meet the requirements set out in the Job Description and Person Specification

A current CV (no longer than 2 pages), also detailing two referees (only contacted on the offer of

a job) and relevant contact information

A fee proposal for the project, including all preparation work, the project itself, and post-project wrap-up

Please make the subject line of your email PRODUCER/PROJECT MANAGER APPLICATION with your name following the word “application”.

Interviews will be held on Friday 8th June in the Batley & Spen area.

Start date ASAP after the interviews have taken place. Please only apply for this role if you are available to start very quickly after the interview date and if you can work on a mostly full time basis on this project for most of June, July and August.

Please note that there will be the opportunity to discuss ongoing work for the company, post-project, which wold be dependant on successful fundraising.

BSYTC welcomes applications from people of diverse backgrounds including BAME, LGBTQI and people with disabilities. We promote diversity and access across our activities. We are committed to equality of opportunity and encourage applications from individuals currently underrepresented in the arts. We hope that this document will help with any questions you might have about the application process and the advertised position. However, if you have any further queries, please email [email protected].

Thank you for your interest in this post – we look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Nick Evans and Donna Munday

BSYTC Artistic Director and Producer

BSYTC Producer/Project Manager Job Description

About BSYTC

Established in 2017, Batley & Spen Youth Theatre Company was set up in Batley, West Yorkshire to celebrate and pay tribute to the life of the late Jo Cox, MP for Batley & Spen, and leave a lasting legacy in the town which will benefit young people for many years to come. It was created to address a need in an area of West Yorkshire where involvement in the performing arts is significantly below the national average (as defined by Arts Council England). The company is particularly interested in seeking out and working with young people who have not previously engaged with drama and the performing arts, and who do not feel theatre is for them for social or economic reasons.

The inaugural project for the company was a 3-tiered once-in-a-lifetime event which brought a revolutionary experience to the young people of the town and surrounding areas. A creative, energetic endeavour, Hear the People Sing took place over 3 weeks of residential teaching and rehearsals for c100 young people; culminating in a week of performances in August at a 600 seat pop-up theatre built in an Oxfam warehouse in Batley with an audience of over 3,000. The project consisted of 3 key parts – a production of Jo’s favourite musical Les Misérables with a local cast of young people (13–19) led by a West End creative team; a second companion piece called More in Common devised by the young people which celebrated the values Jo stood for – togetherness, collaboration, comradeship, equality; and a production skills training project which saw participants shadow and work alongside the West End creative and production team in an intensive learning process. Full details of the 2017 project can be found at http://hearthepeoplesing.com/ .

Following the success of the 2017 summer project Hear the People Sing, Batley & Spen Youth Theatre Company will operate beyond this inaugural event. With the support of local teachers and practitioners the legacy of Hear the People Sing will be a positive and lasting influence on the communities of West Yorkshire, with an ambition to:

Develop the company and expand participants’ education in music, drama and movement
Develop an environment where every participant is valued, ensuring mutual respect is fostered and celebrated
Bestow a wealth of positive values for young people to take back into their schools and communities
Encourage each young person to achieve and surpass their potential
Foster the belief that hard work and courage changes us and those around us for the better
Ignite a passion in its young participants that could lead to a career in theatre or on our screens

Plans are now underway for a second project, Deeds Not Words – A Summer of Suffragettes and Soldiers, which will take place during Summer 2018, and this appointment is a key part of the planning process.

Batley & Spen Youth Theatre Company Ltd is a Registered Charity Number: 1172974

Company Number: 10742368

BSYTC Producer/Project Manager Job Description

JOB TITLE: Producer/Project Manager

LINE MANAGER: Nick Evans (Artistic) and Donna Munday (managerial)

ENGAGEMENT PERIOD: c3 months

FEE: Negotiable

LOCATION: The project will take place in Batley & Spen, West Yorkshire. The successful candidate can work from home, or there is the possibility of having desk space in a local arts organisation.

HOURS: Hours as required

Purpose of Role

To manage the Summer 2018 BSYTC project in Batley & Spen: Deeds Not Words – A Summer of Suffragettes and Soldiers.
To manage and maintain financial, administrative and communication systems, ensuring the smooth running of the project
To fundraise for the 2018 project and beyond

This is only the second project that the organisation has undertaken, so some flexibility is required in terms of how the project management process will work.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management

maintaining a detailed up-to-date project work plan
overseeing the planning, implementation, monitoring and learning within the project to deliver the programme and targets outlined by the Artistic Director
managing effective working relationships with any external stakeholders and partner organisations
leading the project team including Director, Assistant Director, Choreographer, Musical Director, Technical/Production Manager and all visiting artists
working with the Artistic Director to identify and engage visiting artists from the West End and beyond for the project
finding and contracting the venue for the 2018 project
organisation of tickets sales process for the performance aspect of the project
supporting the project team in making practical arrangements eg travel, accommodation
Support BSYTC’s aims in ensuring that the project achieves its ambitions
any other tasks reasonably required in relation to the general responsibilities summarised above
providing administrative support for other members of the team as required

Fundraising

researching potential private and public sources of funding for the project and submit funding applications
researching potential private and public sources of funding for the company in general including the 2019 project and submit funding applications to ensure the legacy of the company

Communications

maintaining and updating databases and other information systems
creating, maintaining and updating the company website
organising company mail-outs
running the company’s social media accounts
ensuring compliance with GDPR

Reporting

writing monthly informal project reports for the management team and board line with the approved deadlines
writing formal project reports in line with any funder or donor deadlines

Finance and Administration

managing the budget for the project including producing financial reports
liaising with the Producer to ensure project staff and suppliers are paid in a timely manner
assisting the Producer with carrying out day to day bookkeeping, payments and invoicing
maintaining records and files including keeping the participants informed of all aspects of the project
responding to telephone, email and any other enquiries

General

being responsible for young people’s safeguarding
updating the company’s Child Safeguarding policy as required and ensuing that all staff comply with the policy
representing BSYTC at meetings with partners and funders regarding the 2018 project
committing to promoting equality in terms of race, gender, culture, sexual orientation and disability, so that BSYTC is recognised as an open and welcoming organisation that challenges discrimination and works to address disadvantage

Person Specification

Essential skills and experience

experience of having managed and led youth theatre projects
experience in working with young people
IT skills including strong Excel and Word skills
demonstrable experience of working under minimum supervision and leading a team
able to manage own time and prioritise workload
passion for changing lives through the arts
experience of financial administration and budget management
experience of fundraising for arts projects
commitment to team working and a flexible approach to working practices.
excellent organisational skills and attention to detail
experience of website content management systems and social media management
current DBS check (or ability to achieve this)

Desirable skills and experience

an interest/knowledge of the performing arts
excellent contacts in the arts community in Batley & Spen
some knowledge of contracting, company and charity legislation
contacts in the West End theatrical community