Project Director of the Democracy Cycle at PAC

$110,000 - 120,000| Full-Time

Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center in NYC seeks a Project Director for The Democracy Cycle, a project of Galvan Center for the Common Good and the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center. To commission and develop 25 new works in theater, opera, dance, and music that explore the nature of democracy over the course of five years (2022 - 2026). The Project Director will report to Artistic Director Bill Rauch and T. Eric Galloway.

Who is Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center?
Following 9/11, the community and civic planning process that resulted in the World Trade Center master plan in 2003 envisioned a new performing arts center as one of the anchors of the site. Now under construction, The Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center (The PAC) is the realization of that plan and process. The building is scheduled for completion in late 2022, with programming to begin in 2023.

The PAC will be a new home for emergent and established artists in theater, dance, music, chamber opera, film, and media from New York City and around the world. Flexible in design, the center is fully responsive to artists’ creative visions. Intimate in scale, the PAC fosters an immediate connection between artists and audience members. The center’s projects will sometimes involve significant community participation and will always strive to have audiences reflect the work onstage.

The PAC’s mission is to create connections by cultivating bonds between extraordinary artists and communities, with exemplary performances in active dialogue across the arts, and in our flexible, intimate spaces, inviting conversation and new relationships. Our art and our audiences reflect the dynamic energy of all five boroughs of New York City. Our work asks all of us to consider and embrace the complexities of society. Together, we welcome the entire world. The center is where the world trades ideas.

Who is the Galvan Center for the Common Good?
Galvan Center for the Common Good helps to build true American democracy by supporting strong advocates, vibrant communities, and cultural expressions that foster civic responsibility and action. Galvan’s Arts and Letters initiative supports artistic and cultural expressions that highlight pressing social issues by providing engaging experiences that inspire individual and civic action. The initiative supports individuals and organizations whose work advances the Common Good.

What is The Democracy Cycle?
The Democracy Cycle is a project of Galvan Center for the Common Good and the Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center. Over five years in a joint venture, Galvan Center for the Common Good (GCG) and the Performing Arts Center (PAC) will commission and develop 25 new works in theater, opera, dance, and music that explore the nature of democracy.

The Democracy Cycle primarily focuses on democracy as practiced in the United States, although it may include references to democracies abroad that inform or deepen our understanding of American democracy. The Cycle aims to answer this question: By exploring democracy’s fragility, how can the performing arts strengthen its resilience? Our aspiration is that many of the projects that are part of the Democracy Cycle expand the canon of work frequently produced within the professional and amateur fields, amplifying their impact on the national and international discourse about democracy.

The Cycle will provide a $30,000 commission to each project. The Cycle will also provide an additional $30,000 toward each project’s development process (readings, workshops, etc.)

Who is in Leadership?
Bill Rauch (he/him/his) is the inaugural artistic director of the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center. His work as a theater director has been seen in theaters ranging from Broadway to community centers. He was artistic director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 2007 to 2019, where he oversaw a major play commissioning initiative called American Revolutions: the United States History Cycle. Bill co-founded Cornerstone Theater Company with Alison Carey, collaborating with rural and urban communities nationwide.

T. Eric Galloway (he/him/his) is founding President of Galvan , an organization advancing the common good by supporting strong advocates, vibrant communities, and cultural expressions that foster civic responsibility and action. Mr. Galloway is founder of Lantern Organization, a New York City developer and operator of over 1400 units of permanent supportive housing and affordable housing.

Requirements

What will you do?
PAC seeks an inaugural Project Director for the Democracy Cycle who will lead the administration of an open call artist submissions process, manage a commissioning timeline for artistic development, and maintain grant deliverables over the course of five years..

Your Areas of Accountability

Project Management
- Supervise the process of commissioning and developing all 25 works of art including phases of research, readings and workshops.
- Collaborate with a working group comprised of Arturo O’Farrill, Meiyin Wang, Helen Whall, T. Eric Galloway, and Bill Rauch to set the project’s parameters and craft a request for proposals (RFP).
- Manage budgeting and grant deliverables.
- Commissioning and New Work Development
- Solicit proposals through an open call process, with roughly eight projects to be selected per year in three consecutive years. The final two years of the project will be focused on development and production.
- Invite and incorporate input from panel experts in performing arts and critical thinking about democracy to determine which projects will receive funding.
- Cultivate and nurture relationships with multigenerational local, national, and international artists.
- Collaborate with the General Manager on artist contracts.

Who are we looking for?
We are looking for candidates with…

• A passion for new work development in the artistic disciplines of theater, opera, dance, and music.
• A passion about democracy, intellectual agility and an open curious mind and experience of social activism.
• An entrepreneurial sensibility with a keen interest in developing a new project.
• Demonstrated ability to conceive, strategize, manage, and prioritize between multiple complex projects with accuracy and excellent attention to detail.
• The ability to handle confidential and sensitive information with discretion.
• Analytic and empathetic problem solving, conflict resolution, and mediation skills.
• Excellent communication and intermediary skills in working with a diverse group of internal and external constituencies.
  
• An ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• A history of advocacy for a work environment that is safe, respectful and supportive.
  
• The ability to work in a hybrid remote/in-person environment with some nights and weekends in-person to support the performance and event schedule.
• A commitment to anti-racism, inclusion, equity, and accessibility.