Education And Audience Relations Officer

Key Activities

Under the supervision and guidance of the Children and Youth Programming and Special Projects Assistant, the Education and Audience Relations Officer is responsible for audience development for French Theatre (FT) programming and for the coordination of FT’s learning and education activities, based on the programming established by the Associate Artistic Director, Youth Programming. The Education and Audience Relations Officer reports to French Theatre and will work closely with the NAC’s multidisciplinary Arts Alive team.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Audience Relations and Promotion
Develop and implement strategies to attract and retain audiences:

• Participate in developing, coordinating and promoting various mediation initiatives related to artistic programming;

• Maintain partnerships with regional organizations;

• Ensure and coordinate French Theatre’s visibility at certain key events;

• Develop and maintain links with communities seeking equity (including cultural communities, groups with access challenges, schools in disadvantaged areas, etc.);

• Working closely with the Communications and Marketing Officers, explore ways to present and promote French Theatre’s programming to new audiences (schools and others).

Coordination of School Programming:

In collaboration with the Associate Artistic Director, Youth Programming, and under the supervision of the Children and Youth Programming and Special Projects Assistant, coordinate all French Theatre school programming:

• Participate in developing programming for virtual and in-person school workshops;

• Coordinate all school workshops and ensure an FT presence at the workshops;

• Collaborate with the Arts Alive Marketing Strategist to present and promote FT’s school programming, using various tools;

• Help teachers prepare for their visit to the NAC (provide educational material, suggest workshops and preparatory meetings, etc.);

• Welcome school groups to the NAC (together with the reception teams);

• Provide some administrative support;

• Represent French Theatre and participate in key meetings of the Arts Alive committee.

Skill Requirements

• University degree in a related field and a minimum of 3 years of professional experience in the performing arts sector, or equivalent combination of education and experience;

• A mimimum of 3 years of experience in a similar role, in communications or in arts event coordination;

• Passion for and curiosity about theatre, ideally theatre for young audiences;

• Good knowledge of the school environment in the greater Ottawa/Gatineau area;

• Excellent communication and writing skills in French (spoken and written); knowledge of English an asset;

• Strong planning, organizational and coordination skills;

• Proven leadership skills and initiative, and strong teamwork skills;

• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 tools (Teams, Outlook, Microsoft suite);

• Ability to identify and manage priorities and to work under pressure.