We’re hiring! Extant is looking for an Enhance Programme Manager
Having gained Arts Council England (ACE) National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funding for 2023-26 and significant 3-year support from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, Extant is seeking a talented and creative advocate for inclusion to enable us to build on our work in transforming how theatre venues and companies work with visually impaired audiences.
About Extant
Extant is the UK’s leading professional performing arts company that explores visual impairment to create unique and innovative artistic experiences, placing visually impaired people at the centre of all we do: from the productions we create, to the artists we employ or support to build stronger careers in the sector, to the audiences we perform to and the participants we work with.
In our company, visual impairment is celebrated as a rich source of creative engagement that inspires fresh perspectives.
We fulfil our purpose by:
- Demonstrating artistic excellence, professionalism, and high production values with the express inclusion of visually impaired (VI) performing artists
- Providing sustainable employment and supporting the professional development of visually impaired people working in the arts
- Putting the accessibility for visually impaired audiences at the centre of the artistic process
- Providing opportunities for visually impaired people to get involved in the arts for the first time.
- Ensuring that our company is led by visually impaired people, artistically, managerially and at board level.
Since 2007, we have delivered participatory projects for VI participants alongside professional theatre productions that feature VI artists and welcome VI audiences.
Extant Enhance
Meeting a known demand from VI audiences and participants, Extant Enhance has been developed in partnership with small to medium scale mainstream touring companies to increase the availability of accessible work. Its collaborative approach makes the most of Extant’s resources as a small company and will increase the number, frequency, range and geographical spread of theatre which meets the needs of VI audiences.
More can be learnt about Enhance here: https://extant.org.uk/access/enhance-2/
This brand-new role of Enhance Training Manager will oversee the programme by managing visually impaired facilitators to deliver Extant Enhance through:
- Recruitment and training of 6 VI Facilitators who will deliver Extant Enhance with 108 theatre companies
- 200 accessible performances for VI audiences
- VI awareness training in 18 venues across the UK
- VI awareness training for practitioners across the UK
- Monitoring and evaluating the impact of the programme to share and embed learning across the theatre sector
The Enhance Manager will coordinate the whole initiative, ensuring that the Enhance programme is delivered by its specially trained facilitators consistently across different types of performance, companies and venues and joined up with relevant sight-loss networks in each region to maximise audience take up for Enhanced touring productions. The Enhance Manager will also respond to additional training and development requests to Extant generated by the Enhance programme.
Enhance Programme Manager
This is a new role created to support an area of expertise we have developed through pilot programmes around VI inclusion across UK venues and audiences.
You will work collaboratively with the Artistic Director/ CEO, Trainee Artistic Directors, Artist Development Manager, partner venues and local organisations for visually impaired people.
We support flexible working, but we expect that you will work from our Brixton office at least one day each week as part of Extant’s small team.
The ideal candidate is someone who understands and has experience of inclusive working, the publicly subsidised arts sector, the context of disability arts in the UK, and is interested in developing a new role. You will be skilled in venue partnership building, designing, facilitating and managing inclusive access programmes.
You will have excellent project management skills, experience in working with theatre makers and arts venues and be willing to work across geographical regions.
This is a 3-year (renewable) part-time contract, 3 days per week (0.6 FTE)
Location: We offer hybrid working, including home, office-based working at our base in Brixton House, 2.06 Carlton Mansions, Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, London, SW9 8GL and across the UK in partner venue locations
Responsible to: Artistic Director
Line Manages: freelance Enhance programme facilitators
Salary: £30,000 pro rata (£18,000 per annum)
Deadline for applications: 12 noon, Friday 8th September 2023
NB: Please send all documents in Word format to ensure accessibility
For more information, please view the full job pack below: