Vice President, Programming

Company Description

The largest performing arts centre in Western Canada, Werklund Centre occupies a full city block in the heart of Calgary’s Cultural District in the downtown core. It is home to the 1,797-seat Jack Singer Concert Hall and five theatres, including the 750-seat Max Bell Theatre, the 412-seat Martha Cohen Theatre, the 190-seat Big Secret Theatre, the 185-seat flexible Engineered Air Theatre, and the 50-seat black box Motel Theatre, as well as additional event and education spaces.

Werklund Centre also houses rehearsal halls, costume and set construction shops, administrative offices, meeting rooms, a café, and a centralized box office. Currently going through an immense expansion and transformation that will see the construction of a new building with two state‑of-the-art theatres, the reimagining of Olympic Plaza as an outdoor cultural/civic gathering space, and the modernization of its currently facility, there is a palpable buzz and excitement surrounding this unique performing arts centre.

Werklund Centre hosts more than 2,000 events each year, including live theatre, concerts, dance productions, readings, public forums, art exhibits, and more – many of which are free to the public. In addition to Werklund Centre’s Presenting, Education, and Artist Development programs, other programmers include resident companies Alberta Theatre Projects, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Downstage, One Yellow Rabbit, and Theatre Calgary, all of which create, perform, and present a wide range of award‑winning and highly acclaimed theatrical events and concerts.

Werklund Centre supports artists and arts organizations that call Werklund Centre home, including the more than 200 community groups that utilize their venues to realize their missions and to foster opportunities for collaboration across Werklund Centre’s cultural campus. Historically, Werklund Centre has hosted almost double the number of events when compared to similar sized venues – a level of activity it will exceed with its expansion in the years ahead.

Werklund Centre has been a key contributor to the social, economic, cultural, and intellectual life and well‑being of Calgarians and visitors since its founding in 1985. It typically serves more than 400,000 patrons at ticketed events and more than 150,000 people annually at free events and gatherings. The existing facility has been enormously successful, consistently working far beyond industry standards.

The Werklund Centre Transformation (WCT) and the Olympic Plaza Transformation (OPT) projects are a generational investment in the creation of the Werklund Centre campus, the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history.

Together, these projects are a comprehensive investment in Calgary’s downtown core that will do far more than expand and modernize Calgary’s premiere performing arts centre – it will revitalize Calgary’s downtown, fundamentally changing the way people perceive, experience, and talk about the arts. This endeavour will result in a vibrant, accessible, safe, and welcoming centre for all to gather, celebrate cultural identities, improve social cohesion, and enrich lives – both inside the venues and outside on historic Olympic Plaza.

WCT’s expansion will add two versatile, purpose‑built venues to meet growing market demands and community aspirations. It will amplify Werklund Centre’s commitment to increase access to the arts for all, contribute to the health and emotional wellbeing of all Calgarians, represent a model for how arts organizations can be self‑sustaining, be a Canadian and global hub for the exploration of artistic innovations and partnerships, and create a ripple effect of economic activity in our downtown and beyond.

WCT’s modernization of Werklund Centre will revitalize the existing 560,000 square‑foot complex and elevate the public’s experience through upgraded amenities and technology. In total, WCT will generate almost 1,000 permanent jobs and will have an annual economic impact of more than $95 million. The newly redesigned Olympic Plaza, which will be…