DONMAR WAREHOUSE PROJECTS LTD HEAD OF NEW WORK (PART-TIME MATERNITY COVER)

Reporng to Arsc Director

Working with Associate Arsts, Senior Management Team Producer Producon Assistant

Responsible for Resident Assistant Director and Resident Design Assistant Freelance script readers

Locaon Home based while the Donmar office is closed; thereaer 3 Dryden Street, London WC2E 9NA

Working hours Part-me – up to 3 days per week with potenal to be flexible to accommodate other work

Contract dates Maternity cover: commencing July 2020 for an inial period of 6 months, which may be extended

Salary According to experience

ABOUT THE DONMAR “Powerhouses do not come much smaller, nor more powerful, than the ” Sunday Times “The Donmar is a credit to the Brish stage” Observer “One of the glories of London’s theatre scene” Evening Standard

The Donmar Warehouse, led by Michael Longhurst, Arsc Director and Henny Finch, Execuve Producer, is a 251-seat subsidised theatre located in the heart of Covent Garden in London’s West End.

Since 1992 the Donmar has built a reputaon for arsc excellence as one of the UK’s leading producing theatres.

From our iconic warehouse space in the heart of London’s West End, we create world-class theatre with internaonal impact. Our inmate auditorium offers audiences – 95,000 annually - a unique shared experience, and an unparalleled connecon with performers.

We believe that representaon maers; diversity of identy, of perspecve, of lived experience enriches our work and our lives.

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We develop new arsts and future audiences through our renowned training programmes and our Discover educaonal acvity in schools and communies.

We share the theatre we make widely through transfers, tours and on screen.

A registered charity, with a turnover of around £7m/year, the Donmar is funded by a combinaon of Arts Council England investment (7%), box office (35%) fundraising from individuals, Trusts and Foundaons and corporate sponsorships (53%), and other income (5%).

This appointment will be made on merit, but we believe that diversity strengthens and enriches us, and that it is the responsibility of everyone at the Donmar Warehouse to make the arts and cultural sector a more diverse and equal place. As Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and disabled people are currently under-represented at the Donmar, we parcularly encourage and welcome applicaons from BAME and disabled applicants. We also welcome applicaons from people with dependents and will consider requests for flexible work arrangements.

Our Recent History

Michael Longhurst was appointed Arsc Director in June 2018, officially taking over from in March 2019. In January 2019 Henny Finch joined as Execuve Director and the new leadership team announced a season of five producons in April 2019 to warm response from audiences, press and the theatre industry. In June 2019 Michael directed his first producon as Arsc Director, David Greig’s Europe, to great acclaim. Teenage Dick directed by Michael opened at the Donmar in December 2019.

Michael is an award-winning stage director. His civil rights-era musical Caroline, or Change, starring Sharon D Clarke, completed sell-out runs at Chichester and Hampstead before transferring to the West End in November 2018. In April 2020, it was set to transfer to Broadway. It was nominated for three Olivier Awards, delivering its lead, Sharon D Clarke, the award for Best Actress in a Musical. In August 2019, his acclaimed producon of Florian Zeller’s The Son transferred to the West End.

Michael’s smash-hit producon of Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus featuring orchestral accompaniment from the Southbank Sinfonia, opened to exceponal reviews at the Naonal Theatre in 2016 and completed two sell-out engagements in the Olivier Theatre, (the longest running show there since War Horse). His Royal Court producon of Nick Payne’s Constellaons transferred to the West End (starring and ) and Broadway (starring and ) winning the Evening Standard Award for Best Play as well as receiving Olivier, Drama Desk and Tony nominaons.

Our Covent Garden Home

The Donmar moved into Donmar Dryden Street in March 2014, a building which provides a rehearsal, office and educaon space for the organisaon.

While the Donmar Warehouse theatre on Earlham Street in Covent Garden has been home to Donmar performances since the establishment of the company in 1992, the Ambassador Theatre Group (ATG) was landlord and operator of the theatre unl 2016. The Donmar took on full responsibility for the Donmar Warehouse theatre building, and key operaons including box office, in January 2017. The theatre’s bar and retail operaon connues in partnership with ATG.

Our theatre and office buildings are currently closed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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JOB DESCRIPTION

Dues and Responsibilies

The Head of New Work is a member of the Senior Management Team.

Arsc Strategy

• Support Michael Longhurst in extending and realising his arsc vision for the Donmar, contribung projects that align with it • Bring an understanding of the needs of the sector, audiences and supporters to programming choices, and help to define the Donmar’s arsc role for those communies.

Programming and Dramaturgy • Bring ideas to programming meengs, both new plays and those from the canon, and work with the whole programming team to bring them into producon • Aend first days of rehearsals, run-throughs and previews and give notes as appropriate • Keep writers at the heart of the Donmar’s work and ensure that writers are well looked aer throughout the producon process • Support the Markeng department in how to communicate about our programmed plays • Collaborate with the Parcipaon department on any new work made for the Donmar’s stage • See producons and readings elsewhere and report back • Support the Arsc Director in responding to proposals from agents and freelance arsts • Meet with directors, producers, and other theatre makers on behalf of the Arsc Director, when required • Aend Development events when required; occasionally host Q&As with arsts • Depuse for the Arsc Director in their absence, if required.

Commissioning • Work with the Arsc Director to find and develop potenal commissions • Manage the delivery process of commissions • Dramaturgically support the development all commissioned scripts, right up to press night, with the Arsc Director and any freelance directors aached • Oversee any creave development work, such as readings and workshops • Run the commissioning and creave development budget (day-to-day managed by the Producer)

Script Reading • Led by the Arsc Director’s vision for the Donmar, solicit scripts from the UK and internaonally • Develop and nurture relaonships with writers who are both new to and familiar with the Donmar • Call upon your exisng relaonships with UK and internaonally-based literary agents • Ensure an efficient script reading and responding process, recruing and managing an excellent and diverse pool of freelance readers • Work closely with the Producon Assistant, who co-ordinates the script reading process and the script submissions database • Act as Senior Reader for all script submissions • Ensure that the Donmar’s script reading pracces don’t just meet, but exceed and lead industry best pracce.

Talent Development • Responsible for the Donmar’s Talent Development strategy. This includes: o Recruing and line managing the Resident Assistant Director o Recruing and line managing the Resident Design Assistant (mentored by Tom Scu) o Running any Resident Writers Groups o Overseeing the relaonship with any Resident Companies o Managing how we share our studio, rehearsal room and meeng spaces to support external arsts, where possible o Supporng the Arsc Director to involve our Associates in the work of the Donmar

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• Work closely with the Parcipaon department to make sure their support ‘pre-career’ arsts align with the Talent Development strategy • Support the Development department in fundraising for all of this acvity.

This is not an exhausve list of dues and the Arsc Director may, at any me, allocate other tasks which are of a similar nature or level.

Person Specificaon

Essenal • This posion is a senior arsc role at the Donmar. It would suit someone with the essenal strategic and administrave experience coming from a background in dramaturgy, literary management, creave producing, direcng or wring • Detailed knowledge of the Donmar’s work and enthusiasm for Michael Longhurst’s arsc vision. • A strategic thinker, who can work with the team to shape the Donmar’s arsc output in accordance with a singular vision • Excellent knowledge of the new wring scene in the UK and internaonally, including strong exisng relaonships with writers and agents, and a current network among theatre-makers more generally • Excellent knowledge of plays and musicals from the canon • Excellent knowledge of directors and actors; ability to consider programming from a casng perspecve • Proven, long-term experience as a script reader with the ability to idenfy material suitable for development and producon at the Donmar and give insighul, construcve feedback to senior arsts • A strong and experienced dramaturg with a proven track record of working with writers in a detailed way • A champion of arsc talent development • Creave ideas around digital content • Willingness to undertake the administrave as well as creave elements of the role • The ability to collaborate with stakeholders, staff and creave personnel • Enthusiasm for communicang with donors • Ability to priorise and mul-task • Willingness to work outside of normal office hours when required • Strong administrave skills.

Desirable • Line management experience • Previous experience of developing early career arsts • Budget management experience • Experience of working in a producing theatre and supporng its strategic aims.

Holiday 25 days a year pro rata

Benefits (post-probaon) • 6% pension contribuon in Donmar’s stakeholder pension scheme (with requirement to contribute 2%)

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