Two new paid opportunities for emerging theatre-makers in Scotland.
Company of Wolves are offering a rare opportunity for two early career artists to be embedded in the operations of one of Scotland’s foremost contemporary performance companies for up to 42 days, with each work day being eight hours, over a 5-month period.
This development opportunity aims to offer the security of paid work to help promising theatre-makers take the next steps in their journey as artists, producers and leaders so they are better placed to make a real impact in the Scottish theatre sector in future.
Running between December 2024 - April 2025, successful applicants will:
- Take part in Company of Wolves’ Winter Training workshops in January 2025;
- Work as artists and performers on the company’s research into ancient Greek chorus, which will lay the foundation for Company of Wolves’ next show, a new adaptation of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. This will involve remote research and script development, in addition to two in-person R&D weeks where individuals will contribute to the practical exploration of the interplay between movement, voice, text and image.
- Shadow, receive mentorship and undertake work experience with Company of Wolves’ core staff to gain practical skills and a deeper understanding of running and sustaining a small theatre company in Scotland.
CONTENT, TIMESCALE AND COMMITMENT
The Theatre-Maker Placements will run for up to 42 days, from December 2024 until the end of April 2025.
The work includes both fixed and flexible elements outlined below.
All fixed work will take place in Glasgow.
Please note that the fixed elements of this placement involve medium to high physical engagement, solo, partner and group work, and include a wide range of activities, from meditative practices to running.
Our aim is that the artists selected will leave this programme with a stronger understanding of the theatre sector in Scotland, a clearer picture of how they work and of the work they want to make, and with concrete tools to continue building successful, sustainable theatre-making careers in Scotland.
Both Placement artists will be paid for all the time they spend with us.
FIXED DATES
Successful candidates must be able to commit to the following fixed dates:
Winter Training (6 days)
8-10; and 13-15 January 2025
Winter Training is Company of Wolves' hugely popular public workshop, dedicated to waking up our bodies, voices and imaginations to free creativity, develop confidence and resilience, and build connections with other people. These workshops take place every January and are led by Company of Wolves’ Joint Artistic Directors, Ewan Downie and Anna Porubcansky.
Agamemnon R&D weeks (10 days)
20-24 January 2025
24-28 February 2025
Successful candidates will be part of the core creative team developing and exploring practical, embodied ways to integrate text, rhythm, song, movement and dance, to discover new approaches to the choruses in the Ancient Greek tragedy Agamemnon by Aeschylus.
The first R&D week consists of studio work with joint artistic directors Anna and Ewan, in addition to Ancient Greek specialist Dr Michael Carroll from the School of Classics at the University of St Andrews. The second week will involve studio work with Ewan, Anna, and three other performers.
REMOTE AND FLEXIBLE WORK STRANDS
The following flexible work strands are to be undertaken according to the dates and timescale that work best for the Placement artists, in agreement with Company of Wolves, with the exact time commitment tailored to suit individual artists.
Agamemnon additional research and development work (up to 10 days)
Successful candidates will be able to observe behind-the-scenes creative development work; read script drafts; contribute to research into ancient Greek mythology, traditional music, and dance forms; and contribute to script development conversations with Anna, Ewan and Michael.
Shadowing, mentoring, and organisational support (up to 16 days)
Successful candidates will have dedicated time with Company of Wolves’ Artistic Directors and Producer, learning new skills and gaining insights into multiple facets of running a company or being a self-producing artist.
Because this is a development opportunity, details of this aspect will be shaped together with successful candidates, in accordance with their personal and professional development goals, and may include project management, production, tour-booking, fundraising, general management, financial management, recruiting and working with freelancers, governance, marketing and PR.
Successful candidates will also undertake some practical admin/producing tasks, as appropriate, to support the work of the organisation, in order to gain more hands-on experience of Company of Wolves’ day-to-day operations.
As this is a pilot programme, we are eager to work closely with the individuals selected to discuss and refine the shape of this opportunity going forward.
JOB DETAILS
Contract type: Freelance
Time commitment: Up to 42 days, with exact number of days to be mutually agreed.
Fee: £125 per day worked.
Expenses: Essential expenses such as travel and childcare to enable individuals to take part can be covered as agreed between the artist and Company of Wolves.
Access: We also have a separate but limited budget to support any additional access needs, subject to a conversation with each individual about their specific needs.
Location: Winter Training and R&D studio elements take place in Glasgow, and in-person attendance is required.
For the flexible/remote aspects of the work, Placement artists may work from their own base, or from the Company of Wolves office in central Glasgow if this location is easily accessible for them.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR:
We are looking for theatre-makers who consider themselves emerging or early-career. We appreciate that the term “early-career” can be open to interpretation and may look different depending on a range of factors.
Applicants must be able to demonstrate the following criteria:
- You are within the first five years of your professional practice.
- You have at least 3 examples of public presentation of your work (this may consist of residencies, scratch nights, readings, research and development processes; or may extend to having presented full productions).
- You are based in Glasgow or within easy travelling distance of Glasgow.
- You are not in full-time study or training at the time of the placement.
- You have graduated from a degree-level performing arts course that involved a performance element; or have equivalent professional experience.
- You are comfortable performing, even if performing is not the main part of your practice or how you self-define.
Additionally, applicants must demonstrate:
- Clear, effective, professional communication skills.
- Willingness to learn, contribute and try new things.
- Desire to work collaboratively as part of a small team.
- An affinity for the kind of work Company of Wolves make.
- A clear sense of how this placement would support your professional and personal development.
- A sense of where you are on your artistic journey and what direction you’d like to go.
Desired skills:
- Some experience of self-producing.
- Some knowledge of the Scottish theatre sector.
- Ability to be self-supporting administratively.
- IT literate.
EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
Company of Wolves believe in equality of opportunity, and are committed to building a collaborative culture where everyone can do their best work. We strive to include people from diverse backgrounds to celebrate a broad range of perspectives, experience, and knowledge so we can help create a better future.
We recognise that identity is complex, and we are committed to long-term action to remove systemic injustices and barriers to progress. Our aim is that our work and the people with whom we work reflect the diversity of our society. We encourage people who are under-represented* in the Scottish theatre sector to apply. We are committed to embedding inclusion and representation into our overall selection.
*By under-represented we mean: People who are under-represented within the theatre sector workforce and audiences, specifically in terms of LGBTQIA+, gender-non-conforming and/or non-binary people; people who have a migrant or refugee experience; people of the Global Majority; people who are neurodivergent, disabled, or affected by a health condition or impairment; people with experience of socio-economic disadvantage, affected by homelessness, care-experienced, unemployed, and/or have received welfare benefits; people with caring responsibilities.
HOW TO APPLY
Please complete the application form here.
(You will have the option to apply through written answers or in video format, as preferred.)
Please also complete the Equalities Monitoring Form here.
Completing this form is voluntary but we appreciate your input in helping us to assess how well we are meeting our Equalities aims.
The Equalities Monitoring Form will be separated from your application and does not form part of the selection process. Information obtained from the form will not be available for the people preparing the shortlist, with the exception of any information about disability required to make reasonable adjustments for interview. Data obtained from the forms will be used solely for monitoring purposes and no individual can ever be identified from it.
The application deadline is 5pm on Mon 18th November. Applications received after this time will not be considered.
Your application will be read by Company of Wolves’ Artistic Directors Ewan Downie and Anna Porubcansky, and Producer Corinne Salisbury, with additional advice from our Board of Trustees.
We will let you know by Thursday 21st November whether or not we will be inviting you to attend an interview. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed on Tuesday 26th, Wednesday 27th or Thursday 28th November. Candidates will be informed of our final decision by Friday 29th November.
ANY QUESTIONS?
If you would like this information in an alternative format or if you would like an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Corinne Salisbury at corinne@companyofwolves.org
