Programmer, City Varieties Music Hall

Closing date: 30th September 2024 at midday

Salary: £30,000-£35,000 dependant on experience

Curate diverse performances, build industry relationships, and craft engaging seasons of programming at this vibrant Leeds venue! 

Leeds Heritage Theatres is a registered charity united by a single cause; to bring people together, create the extraordinary and provide a positive environment in which to entertain and educate. Our three venues – Leeds Grand Theatre, City Varieties Music Hall and the Hyde Park Picture House – collectively present the very best in live performance, music, comedy and film; drawing audiences of around 350,000 a year from the Leeds city region and beyond. We’re proud of who we are and what we do. With our combined, unique skills, we make a real difference. We inspire one another. We become stronger. Everyone is welcome to share in this labour of love.

We're looking for someone who is passionate about the performing arts in all its many forms and eager to work with us to find ways of making the arts more inclusive and welcoming. You will be experienced in multi-art-form programming and working in commercial theatre and have an appreciation of the City Varieties Music Hall’s role in the cultural sector both in the Leeds City Region and in the UK.

The programmer programmes and shapes the City Varieties Music Hall artistic programme, embracing multiple art forms and creating space for a wide range of different curatorial voices. You will establish and maintain excellent relationships with promoters and producers, negotiate sound commercial agreements, and develop new content initiatives for diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

Programming and Planning

• Actively lead the research, curating and planning of the City Varieties Music Hall’s artistic programme of visiting and produced work.
• Support the General Manager and Chief Executive to develop exciting, diverse and coherent seasons of activity across theatre, music, family and comedy which appeal to an audience that is reflective of the people of Leeds.
• Develop relationships and partnerships with internal stakeholders and external promoters, agents, artists, collectives and communities to develop new projects and identify new opportunities for LHT.
• Ensure the programme is commercially viable, and can be delivered within all scheduling, resourcing, technical and financial parameters.
• Co-ordinate and administrate the in-house productions, co-productions and commissions, including the annual pantomime, supporting and reporting to the General Manager. Duties include preparing contracts for the creative team and actor-musicians; arranging, participating and note-taking in all related production meetings; compiling pantomime programmes; PRS; costumes & props, and financial administration.
• Lead on artist care looking at all aspects of their connection to the venue to ensure they have a positive experience working with LHT.
• Ensure there is detailed and accurate show information and oversee the delivery and implementation of programmed work, coordinating with other teams, including Technical, Communications and Front of House.
• Attend artistic planning meetings with the Chief Executive, General Manager, Head of Cinema, Head of Communications and Head of Learning and Engagement to develop and deliver LHT’s five-year artistic strategy to include pan-site themes and festivals, with due consideration given to the Theatre Green Book.
• Develop organisational awareness and understanding of the programme at staff meetings and in internal comms.
• Maintain good liaison and effective communication of information from incoming artists and companies and ensure the smooth running of all productions.

Administration and Finance

• Negotiate terms for visiting productions and prepare contracts for signing when required.
• Responsible for effective use of venue management, financial management and other administrative systems, to ensure the efficient running of the Visiting and In-house CVMH Artistic Programme.
• Liaise with the General Manager and the Finance team to produce an annual budget in line with the business plan and ensure the venue achieves targets.
• With the General Manager and the Head of Finance, oversee all areas of finance relating to the CVMH’s artistic programme, including providing financial reports when required.

Other duties

• Understand the impact and manifestations of historic inequality in the cultural sector and help identify and implement intersectional approaches to dismantling that inequality stretching across our programme, our audiences and our workforce.
• Act as the first point of contact for private hire enquiries for the City Varieties Music Hall and help deliver the private hire offer, including working with the General Manager to manage the scheduling of these events alongside the audience-facing activity.
• Work with the Head of House Management, Head of Communications and the Chief Executive to design and manage the venue’s secondary sales offer to maximise profits in line with LHT’s values and environmental strategy.
• Identify and work to secure new funding opportunities in collaboration with the Chief Executive to support new programming initiatives, audience development, capital development and organisational development.
• Support LHT’s learning and engagement programme and facilitate the Leeds Grand Youth Theatre’s annual summer musical theatre production at the City Varieties Music Hall.
• Actively support and deliver LHT’s Sustainability Strategy and Acton Plan.
• Enforce and operate within all statutory regulations including Health and Safety, Security and Safeguarding and to ensure that the organisation complies with all requirements of the Licensing Authority.
• Keep in touch with the industry, attending shows and sharings to inform programming discussions for future seasons.
• Carry out other reasonable duties as required by the General Manager or Chief Executive to support the programme.

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential

• Experience in negotiating high-level contracts and meeting budget targets.
• Experience of curating a season of work, designed to increase the diversity of audiences and participants.
• Extensive knowledge of the theatre sector with experience of building and maintaining a network of contacts within the industry and experience of participating in cultural networks.
• Ability to generate and follow through on ideas which will enhance both resources and the achievement of artistic goals.
• Understanding of and commitment to equality and diversity best practices in the workplace and the cultural industries.
• A passion for and understanding of regional theatre and its national context.
• An understanding of the context of the City Varieties Music Hall and LHT within the cultural environment of Leeds and the region.
• Knowledge and understanding of UK Theatre/Commercial Theatre Agreements and Rates of Pay.
• Experience in strategic business planning in a cultural context.
• Experience in budget management and financial control for theatre productions. • Excellent communication skills and experience of managing relationships with colleagues, stakeholders, board members and the public.
• Excellent teamwork and the ability to communicate across departments.
• Excellent project management and organisational skills and proven experience of managing and prioritising a heavy and varied workload.
• An ability to take a creative approach to problem-solving.
• Demonstrable computer literacy skills at a high standard to include MS Office.

Desirable

• Proven experience in producing mid-scale theatre.
• Experience of/or interest in producing work for younger audiences.
• Experience of working with digital artists.
• Awareness of audience development approaches.
• Experience working on funded projects including awareness of monitoring and evaluation responsibilities.
• Awareness of carbon literacy training and issues around environmental sustainability in the cultural sector.

We welcome and encourage applications from candidates who are under-represented in the creative industries. 

Please state in your application that you found this role through Creative Access.