TheatreWorks Silicon Valley

Executive Director

Organization

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley (TheatreWorks) is one of the country’s leading professional theatres and the Bay Area’s third-largest non-profit theatre. In 2019, the company was honored by the American Theatre Wing with the Regional Theatre Tony Award. Its mission is to celebrate the human spirit through innovative productions, new works, and arts engagement programs inspired by and engaging its diverse Silicon Valley community. TheatreWorks is currently opening a new Creative Hub and administrative center in Redwood City and produces its season in the 600-seat Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, the 360-seat Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto, and LORT B & C theatres, respectively.

TheatreWorks envisions an artistic community of excellence and integrity, committed to dramatic and musical theatre of outstanding professional quality that strives to exemplify the region’s values of inclusion and innovation while providing a sense of place and community. The world of theatre has changed over the past few years necessitating new, sustainable business models and strategies to keep theatres vibrant and responsive to community needs. With the point of view that the San Francisco Bay Area is the prototype of a diverse, ever-evolving America, TheatreWorks is committed to exploring the changing world and enhancing the American theatre with a new vision, revealing who we are and what we might become.

TheatreWorks has been committed to the creation of new works for the stage since its founding in 1970 and will have produced 75 world premieres by the end of this season. In 2000, this commitment was strengthened and formalized with the establishment of its New Works Initiative, which has contributed to the development of scores of new plays and musicals, earning national recognition and acclaim for the company and the new works program. Highlights of the program include the annual Core Writing Group, the annual Writers Retreat, a commissioning program, and formative readings and workshops throughout the year. Writers currently under commission include Min Kahng, Lynn Rosen, Pia Wilson, Chris Miller, Nathan Tysen, Idris Goodwin, Jeffrey Lo, Conrad Panganiban, Lauren Gunderson, and Geetha Reddy. TheatreWorks believes in supporting local and national writers in the earliest stage of a play’s development.

The TheatreWorks Arts Engagement program is committed to engaging its diverse community through arts education, community partnerships, and inclusive collaboration. Through accessible workshops, residencies, internships, civic salons, student matinees, touring productions, and other events, the program seeks to build intentional relationships with Silicon Valley neighbors. The Children’s Healing Project exemplifies the Arts Engagement program, in which TheatreWorks’ teaching artists lead improvisation-based workshops with patients at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford University, patients at the Comprehensive Eating Disorders Unit at El Camino Hospital, and families at the Ronald McDonald House.

TheatreWorks is committed to fostering a culture of belonging, amplifying underrepresented voices, and dismantling systemic barriers to access and opportunity. This commitment extends to embracing people across lines of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, age, and socioeconomic status. The organization has asserted its intention to use its voice and art form to take a stand against conscious and unconscious bias and systemic racism.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is governed by a 22-member board of trustees (board chair Mark Greenstein.) The theatre is led by artistic director Giovanna Sardelli, with interim executive director responsibilities being shared by Criss Henderson and Phil Santora. There is a full-time staff of 25, a part-time and contractor staff of 62, and a volunteer core of over 50. The organization's budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2025, anticipates revenue of $9 million, with approximately $3.9 million from annual fund contributions and grants, $2.3 million in special campaign and other philanthropic funding, and $2.8 million from program services. Their endowment stands at approximately $4.2 million.

Community

Situated on the traditional territory and unceded homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, TheatreWorks is headquartered in Silicon Valley, which includes the cities of San José (the third-largest city in California), Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Cupertino. Silicon Valley’s location around the southern shores of San Francisco Bay provides easy access to the global hub of San Francisco, with Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and Napa Valley within driving distance. TheatreWorks serves the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to approximately 7.5 million residents.

A nexus of arts and innovation, Silicon Valley is the home to many first-rate universities, including Stanford University, Santa Clara, and nearby UC Berkeley, one of the top research universities in the world, as well as dozens of major technology, software, and internet companies. Apple, Google, Meta (formerly Facebook), and Visa are among the major brands headquartered in the region.

Less than an hour's drive from Silicon Valley, San Francisco houses San Francisco Ballet, San Francisco Symphony, SFJAZZ, San Francisco Opera, Club Fugazi, Cantor Museum, SFMOMA, the Asian American Art Museum, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the de Young Museum, the Legion of Honor, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, and many others. With the addition of Bay Area theatres, such as American Conservatory Theater and Berkeley Rep, and nearly 400 additional Bay Area theatre companies, Silicon Valley is part of the nation’s third-largest theatre scene and a leader in the region’s arts and culture sector.

With its Northern California weather, Silicon Valley has a mild climate of warm summers and cool winters and offers proximity to beaches and countless ways to enjoy the outdoors. Visitors can find stunning views on endless miles of trails or spend an afternoon strolling through the historic Elisabeth F. Gamble Garden, which is free and open to the public every day of the year. Children can enjoy the Palo Alto Junior Museum and Zoo.

Sources: visitcalifornia.com; census.gov; siliconvalleyguide.org; cityofpaloalto.org; theatreworks.org

Position Summary

In a co-leadership model with the Artistic Director, the Executive Director will collaborate closely with the Board to establish a long-term vision and strategy that is effective, achievable, and sustainable, and will co-lead its implementation. Guided by the mission and values, this individual will be responsible for managing all the company’s business functions including general management, external and community relations, audience development, marketing, fund development, financial management, and strategic planning. The Executive Director will report to the Board of Trustees to provide administrative and financial oversight of all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the organization. The Executive Director will serve as an active spokesperson for the organization, and cultivate relationships with municipal leaders, funders, and other philanthropic supporters.

In partnership with the Artistic Director, they will co-lead the Board and senior management team in sustaining equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, policies and initiatives, and will partner with artists and community and education staff to initiate and facilitate community-centered programs. The Executive Director and Artistic Director will work together to expand TheatreWorks’ capacity to support top regional and national talent. They will foster a creative, accessible, supportive, and joyful environment for artists and the many people who make the work of TheatreWorks possible – on stage, backstage, in classrooms, online, and throughout the community.

Role and Responsibilities

Strategic Planning and Operational Leadership

Serve as a committed, visionary, and accessible leader with a true connection to stakeholders including artists, staff, board, donors, and community members.
Collaborate with the Artistic Director to provide consistent and transparent leadership across the organization and establish a sustainable strategy that encourages artistic innovation and fiscal responsibility.
Create decisive action plans with the senior management team that include a clearly defined organizational structure designed to achieve strategic, operational, and tactical priorities, and measurable goals, while fostering a teamwork culture of shared accountability.
Champion equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility policies and practices, and ensure ongoing organization-wide training is prioritized, funded, implemented, effective, and sustained.
Inspire and engage stakeholders to support TheatreWorks as a chief spokesperson and ambassador for the organization.
Embrace other strategic planning and operational leadership responsibilities as needed.

Fiscal Responsibility and Oversight

Demonstrate solid fiscal and business acumen and ensure the highest levels of financial accountability.
Maintain communications with the Board of Trustees that are comprehensive, proactive, and transparent.
Maximize income and control expenditures without jeopardizing the quality of work, achievement of mission, or the reputation of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.
Lead the development, implementation, and management of organizational budgets.
Manage financial reporting systems, provide financial analysis, develop earned and contributed revenue forecasting models and scenario plans, and make recommendations to support decision-making.
Embrace other fiscal responsibility and oversight responsibilities as needed.

Earned and Contributed Revenue Enhancement

Lead staff and Board fundraising initiatives to create innovative community-centered strategies for growing contributed revenue.
Build and maintain strong professional relationships with the Board Emeriti, business leaders, and the funding community including key donors, foundations, public funders, and corporations.
Formulate and actively participate in comprehensive marketing and public relations campaigns to increase local and national awareness of TheatreWorks.
Join forces with the Artistic Director and marketing team to develop and implement new, sustainable earned revenue streams.
Collaborate with the marketing and development team to develop long-term patron engagement strategies to increase Mainstage attendance and convert single ticket holders into subscribers/repeat theatregoers.
Guide the development of strategic marketing initiatives designed to create long-term engagement, increase attendance at Mainstage shows, and convert single ticket holders into subscribers/repeat theatregoers.
Assess and adapt audience development plans based on the specific, unique nature of Silicon Valley to create meaningful relationships with the region’s broadly diverse communities.
Embrace other earned and contributed revenue enhancement responsibilities as needed.

Community Engagement and External Relations

Devise innovative partnerships between artistic and tech communities, ensuring TheatreWorks is valued as the theatrical center of Silicon Valley and looked to as a performing arts leader in local and global conversations.
Maintain a consistent presence as a highly engaged member of the Silicon Valley community focused on increasing the visibility and reputation of TheatreWorks in arts, culture, public, corporate, government, and philanthropic communities.
Expand TheatreWorks’ presence in the broader theatre field by representing the organization at national convenings, participating in collective lobbying efforts, and fostering relationships with local or national peer organizations that may result in producing partnerships and resource-sharing.
Cultivate and develop a diverse, intergenerational audience in close collaboration with the Artistic Director, by engaging Silicon Valley communities through mutually beneficial, innovative partnerships and collaborations.
Embrace other community engagement and external relations responsibilities as needed.

Traits and Characteristics

The Executive Director will be an inspiring, collaborative, and forward-thinking leader who empowers and celebrates colleagues and brings out the best in others. A proactive and approachable manager, the Executive Director will be a hands-on team-builder, capable of uniting the collective energy and resources of TheatreWorks to build upon its legacy and secure a path toward its future. While maintaining a regional and national presence, the Executive Director will enjoy continual learning and embrace a service-minded approach to building meaningful partnerships with diverse and dynamic communities. The Executive Director will demonstrate versatility and adaptability and be comfortable with initiating and supporting change. The Executive Director will be receptive to new ideas, opportunities, and innovation while effectively leveraging organizational, human, financial, and technological resources. A visible and vocal advocate, both internally and in the community at large, the Executive Director will demonstrate the ability to organize and motivate other people to accomplish goals, create a sense of order and direction, and gain active participation from a variety of stakeholders.

Other key competencies include:

Leadership, Time, and Priority Management – The fortitude to organize and influence people to believe in a vision, creating a sense of purpose and direction while ascertaining competing priorities, resolve difficulties and overcome obstacles, and maximize the use of time and resources to attain the desired outcomes.
Flexibility and Problem Solving – The dexterity to readily modify, respond, and adapt to change with minimal resistance while analyzing all aspects of a situation to make consistently sound and timely decisions.
Futuristic Thinking Creativity and Innovation – The foresight to envision expanded artistic possibilities, champion cutting-edge ideas and concepts, and craft an environment where creative thinking is the norm, not the exception.
Diplomacy and Personal Accountability – The ability to effectively and tactfully handle difficult or sensitive issues while being answerable for personal and collective actions.

Qualifications

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley does not require a specific number of years of experience or minimum educational credentials. Qualified candidates should demonstrate a dynamic history of senior leadership and managerial experience within mission-driven theatre-producing organizations, as well as previous experience in fundraising, marketing, financial management, operations, relationship-building, and strategic planning. Exceptional communication skills are required, as is the desire to directly engage with Silicon Valley communities alongside TheatreWorks’ staff. Demonstrated experience in championing and implementing inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and anti-racism policies is essential. The Executive Director will be a change agent experienced in leading a team/organization through change and/or challenging times. The selected candidate must be willing to live or relocate to the geographical area of TheatreWorks Silicon Valley.

Compensation and Benefits

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley provides a competitive compensation package with a salary range between $175,000 and $200,000 and benefits that include partial employer-paid health insurance; a 403(b)-retirement plan; paid vacation; holidays; personal and sick days; complimentary tickets to TheatreWorks productions; friends and family discounts; and a creative, energetic environment. A relocation allowance will be offered to the placed candidate if they are not local.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred), please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/opensearches. For questions or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Ernest Figueroa, Associate Vice President
Arts Consulting Group logo.
8581 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 406
Los Angeles, CA 90069-4120
Tel (323) 721.0141 Ext. 226
Email efigueroa@artsconsulting.com
Email TheatreWorks@ArtsConsulting.com

At TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, we believe in the power of our art to foster understanding, build bridges, and to drive change. We are committed to using our platform to create a space where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued. We are on a journey to reflect the richness and diversity of our world more fully.

We acknowledge our responsibility to examine and evolve our policies and practices to better include and celebrate all identities, experiences, and perspectives. This includes fostering equity on our stages and throughout our organization and the broader community we serve. Our commitment extends to embracing people across lines of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ability, age, and socioeconomic status. We highly encourage people of color, individuals with disabilities, and other historically underrepresented groups to apply.

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