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Job Description / Duties

This position reports to the Casting Director and is part of the Casting Department, which reports to the Artistic Director.

Each season, the Stratford Festival Casting Department is responsible for casting all of the plays across our four stages as well as recommending casting for other Festival presentations including: New Play Development activities, Lab workshops, Forum events and Digital Programming. The Casting Department conducts an annual cross-Canada General Audition tour; and every other year, in collaboration with the Director of the Birmingham Conservatory, a nationwide audition tour to discover candidates for the Conservatory.

The Festival’s Casting Office is also constantly searching out new artists, attending productions across the country – seeing not-for-profit and commercial theatre, theatre school graduates, showcases, and fringe productions; as well as being familiar with artists currently appearing on television and film.

The Casting Office strives to create a safe and supportive audition environment where actors may be empowered to excel.

Responsibilities:

•Work collaboratively with others in the Casting Department to meet the casting needs of the Festival
•Act as a creative resource for the Artistic Director, supporting artistic goals for each season and making them aware of emerging artists, including actors, directors and choreographers
•Contribute to the season planning process in collaboration with the Creative Planning Director
•Participate in the annual cross-Canada General Audition Tour and the biennial nationwide Birmingham Conservatory Audition Tour
•Liaise with visiting directors and creative team members to fully understand their vision and help realize their goals
•With each director, establish their initial casting requirements, provide lists of casting suggestions, create casting breakdowns when necessary, and organize and attend auditions as needed
•Guide directors through Stratford’s unique repertory cross-casting process, which requires that directors must cast collaboratively and share actors with one or two other directors
•Maintain detailed records of each actor’s audition and enter into a shared database for reference
•Once the roles have been cast, work with each director to determine which actors might also be understudies
•Support all artists throughout the casting process with respect and sensitivity
•Attend Stratford Festival productions, invited dress rehearsals and understudy runs as required.
•Regularly attend theatre, and as broad a range of theatrical presentations as possible, in order to be very familiar with the work of actors, directors, choreographers, etc.
•Act as a resource and liaison to the Directors’ Office for the current acting company and for the acting community as a whole

Qualifications / Required Skills

•Knowledge of, and strong networks in, the Canadian acting and theatre community from experience as either a casting director, talent agent, director, actor or stage manager.
•Diplomatic collaborator with the ability to work within a highly creative environment and demonstrate grace and kindness under pressure
•Imagination, curiosity and generosity are all key attributes
•Strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and meet tight deadlines
•Understanding the Canadian Actors Equity requirements pertaining to auditions as outlined in the Canadian Theatre Agreement (CTA) as well as the Stratford Addendum
•Commitment to inclusivity and understanding the importance of visibility and representation onstage

Additional Information

This full time position is located in Stratford, Ontario and will begin as soon as possible.

The Festival is working diligently toward a safe and healthy workplace for everyone. We welcome applicants of every identity, and encourage applications from Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Deaf, disabled and 2SLGBTQ+ folks. We are committed to accommodating people with disabilities throughout the recruitment process and beyond. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know.

As a condition of hire, all successful job candidates must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide proof of full vaccination at time of contracting. This condition is subject to the provisions of the Human Rights Code.

Salary: Annual Salary: $61,711-77,138

Contact Information

If you have the qualifications to fill this role and feel you could make a meaningful contribution to the Stratford Festival, please apply by submitting your resume and cover letter in a single PDF by 5:00pm on April 4, 2022 to:

Human Resources
E-mail: resumes@stratfordfestival.ca
Subject: Associate Casting Director

We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.

Employer Profile

Based in Stratford, Ontario, the Stratford Festival is one of the world’s foremost repertory theatre companies. It operates year round, presenting a season of about a dozen plays each year between the months of April and November, a rich stream of digital content and hundreds of Forum events, designed to deepen understanding of the plays. For every person a theatregoer sees on our stages, we have seven people working behind the scenes, some of the world’s most dedicated and experienced arts workers. At this time we are undergoing a culture shift to support anti-racism and anti-oppression and ensure a respectful, equitable and inclusive environment in which all staff, artists and audience members can feel a true sense of belonging.