Job

Ars Nova's Audience Engagement Associate

Ars Nova

511 west 54th street
NY 10019

Deadline

Rolling

Posted

Nov 01, 2022

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT:
AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT ASSOCIATE
POSTING DATE: November 1, 2022
STATUS: Full-Time, non-exempt
SALARY: $50,500/ annually
Ars Nova seeks a dynamic people-connector, audience steward and thoughtful communicator to join us as our Audience Engagement Associate. Reporting to the Culture & Community Director, the Audience Engagement Associate is on the frontlines of combining audience experience with community building and partnerships.

Ars Nova exists to discover, develop and launch singular theater, comedy and music artists who are in the early stages of their careers. We are the stomping ground and launching pad for visionary and adventurous artists to create new work. We strive to build the next generation of audiences for live entertainment by prioritizing a zeitgeist-forward aesthetic and marrying it with accessible ticket prices. Some of our acclaimed work includes: Heather Christian’s Oratorio for Living Things (dubbed “profoundly strange and overwhelmingly beautiful” by The New York Times), the Lortel Award-winning “Outstanding Musical” Rags Parkland Sings The Songs Of The Future, the Broadway-bound KPOP, Obie-award-winning and international touring Underground Railroad Game, and the Tony Award-winning smash-hit Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.

Ars Nova recognizes both that it is a predominantly white institution and that our institutional practices have led to the exclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Color from our team. We are actively working to become a more diverse, anti-racist, inclusive organization; please see our commitments and progress towards these objectives HERE. We hope candidates from the global majority will accept our invitation to apply.

KEY PURPOSE OF POSITION/GOALS:
The Audience Engagement Associate plays a key part in hosting the Ars Nova party and creating an inviting and welcoming space for audience members and stakeholders alike. Specifically, you will:
-Generate a sense of belonging and ease to all prospective audience members through management of the ticketing pathway;
-Create and maintain a welcoming environment for all audience members through leadership of the Front-of-House Team;
-Cultivate greater equity and inclusion in the audience experience by prioritizing meeting audience accessibility needs and cultural competency for Front-of-House staff.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND COMPETENCIES:
The responsibilities, competencies and expectations outlined below are representative, not exhaustive. Responsibilities may shift as needed to best align with organizational needs.
Managing and leading all ticketing, front-of-house and Bars Nova operations for Ars Nova productions and rentals, including:
-Supervising and providing performance management of 4-6 part-time House Managers;
-Hiring, training and shift scheduling for all Front-of-House (FOH) roles for each performance, including show-specific adjustments to front-of-house experience;
-Coordinating coverage for any staffing changes and providing backup coverage in case of illness or emergency;
-Maintaining box office auditing documentation including nightly settlement reports and attendance documentation;
-Managing all ticketing through OvationTix and InPlayer, including building performances, managing inventory, and booking house seats for Ars Nova productions, and rentals in our spaces;
-Managing all supplies and inventory for FOH operations and Bars Nova, our in-house source for pre-show libations and refreshments;
-Ensuring we are meeting accessibility needs, and that we are prioritizing cultural competency in our FOH staff, to make sure everyone feels truly welcome at the theater.

Requirements

ABOUT YOU:
-You have a passion for theater, for artists of all stripes, and love connecting communities to each other and to live entertainment;
-You are a skillful party host, and the type of person who wants to welcome folks in, fix them a plate, freshen their drink, and introduce them to someone they’d really hit it off with;
-You are detail-oriented and highly organized – you love a list! Your inbox is filed, color-coded, and has zero unread messages. You remember how your best friend’s mom takes her coffee!
-You are level-headed and even-keeled. You are able to make good judgment calls under pressure, and even manage to smile while you do it. #keepcalmandcarryon
-You share our commitment to anti-racism and creating and maintaining an inclusive environment, are excited about joining our efforts to make Ars Nova a more just and equitable place to work and make work, and have the ability to interact effectively with people of different cultures and socio-economic backgrounds;

BONUS IF :
-You are already comfortable representing Ars Nova, its mission, programs, and core values to the broader community;
-You have 1-4 years training and/or experience in front-of-house or box office for an arts, creative, or forward-thinking organization (not-for-profit experience a plus);
-You demonstrate knowledge of OvationTix, or a similar ticketing CRM.
-You are someone who can balance taking care of the people currently in the room, and imagining who isn’t in the room – and want to figure out why and how to remove barriers to access and inclusion.

We know there are great candidates that may not have all of the qualifications listed above but possess intuitive knowledge or other fully transferable skills. If that’s you, don’t hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.