Presented by BAC, produced by ArtsAdmin in association with LIFT; together we are looking for an Audience Connector to work on audience development for the show.

Please note: applications for this role need to be submitted to Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) – details are below. This work will be contracted by BAC but the person we hire will work with LIFT, BAC and the artists.

The Project

The Making of Pinocchio is a production by Cade & MacAskill. They are renowned queer artists who performed this piece for five nights at BAC last summer, as part of LIFT’s 2022 festival. Following the festival, The Making of Pinocchio went on a successful international tour. We’re thrilled that it’s returning to BAC in November 2023 for a run of nine performances.

About The Making of Pinocchio

A true tale of love and transition told through the story of Pinocchio.

In The Making of Pinocchio, you are invited to go behind the scenes of Cade & MacAskill’s creative process and their relationship, and question what it takes to tell your truth.

Artists and lovers Rosana Cade (they/them) and Ivor MacAskill (he/him) have been creating The Making of Pinocchio since 2018, alongside and in response to Ivor’s gender transition. In this theatrical and cinematic spectacular, their tender and complex autobiographical experience meets the magical story of the little lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’.

The Making of Pinocchio joyfully embraces the importance of imagination in queer worldmaking and the idea of transness as a state of possibility that can trouble fixed perspectives and inspire change.

More information can be found about the show on BAC’s website.

The Brief

We are looking for an Audience Connector to work on audience development for the show, specifically focusing on engaging with trans and gender non-conforming people who don’t often feel welcome at the theatre or represented in the arts. We’re looking for someone with lived experience and strong community connections.

Trans is an umbrella term that refers to individuals whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from the sex they were assigned at birth. This can include individuals who identify as a different gender than the one they were assigned at birth (e.g. a person assigned male at birth who identifies as a woman), as well as those who identify as a different gender than the binary options of male or female (e.g. non-binary or genderqueer individuals).

We would like to get to know these communities better. We hope that they will become audience members for The Making of Pinocchio, as well as audiences for future work at LIFT and/or BAC.

The delivery of the work will be co-designed by the Audience Connector and LIFT/BAC, with input from the artists. That means that together we’ll determine the timeline, set objectives and agree the approaches taken to reach the audience we’re hoping to engage with.

LIFT and BAC offer a supportive working environment. We will be with you each step of the way to offer support and feedback, as well as to ensure your safety and wellbeing.

This work will include 3 phases:

Phase 1: Research

Meet with the artists, LIFT and BAC, to get to know the work and to discuss the audiences we would like to reach.

Consider how to engage the identified audiences.

Conduct primary research which may include surveys or focus groups. This research is to discover barriers and enablers for our intended audience group, as well as to identify organisations and groups that we want to reach out to.

Insights gathered will inform the design of the execution phase. For example, this may inform the incentives we want to offer audiences to attend the performance (such as free or discounted tickets) and the language we use to communicate about the show. This research will also inform a contact list for invitations to attend the show.

Phase 2: Execution

• Contact individuals, organisations and influencers to book tickets.
• Accompany audiences to the performance, gathering feedback (via feedback forms, interviews, or another appropriate method) after the performance.
• We hope that the successful candidate will bring their own community connections, as well as a knowledge of relevant organisations, community groups or influencers to connect with.

Phase 3: Evaluation

It is important for both organisations that this project has a legacy after it ends. We would like this work to inform future audience development projects, as well build lasting relationships with audiences we are not currently reaching. As part of this phase the Audience Connector will –

• Compile a report that outlines any recommendations for LIFT and BAC to take forwards in the design and delivery of our audience development work.
• Gather feedback (via surveys, interviews or another appropriate method) from community members/organisations who were engaged during the project and include an analysis of these results in the end of project report.
• Facilitate the direct connection between LIFT/BAC and the audience members that have been engaged to enable LIFT/BAC to keep in touch, as appropriate.

Person Specification

We are looking for someone who is a brilliant communicator, both in person and via email. This person needs to have strong contacts and networks within the target community, as well as being confident to branch out and develop new relationships. We need an innovative thinker, a collaborator and someone who is passionate about diversifying audiences.

This work will contribute to ongoing learning at LIFT and BAC around audience development. It’s important that the person who takes on this work is organised, able to keep detailed records and can contribute to the design and delivery of the evaluation process as well as the delivery. Experience of evaluation and analysis, and working with and motivating groups and individuals will be beneficial, but is not a requirement.

LIFT and BAC are committed to being actively anti-racist and truly inclusive organisations. We welcome people of all identities regardless of their ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality or religion. We will support applicants with any access requirements or reasonable adjustments needed during the application process and delivery of the work. We actively encourage applications from people who identify as Trans or gender non-conforming.

We are looking for someone who is based in London. Both BAC and LIFT are London-based organisations and we unfortunately do not have the budget to bring the Audience Connector and audiences into London for the show. We’re also interested in building long-term relationships and therefore would like to connect with people and organisations local to us through this project.

Key Dates

1-10 November | The Making of Pinocchio at BAC

2 November | Press Night

We anticipate that the Audience Connector will need to attend two or three shows to bring identified audience groups to BAC. Which performances they attend and exactly how many will be decided between the Audience Connector, LIFT and BAC once they are in the role. For now, please make sure if you want to apply that you will not be out of the country/city during the performance run.

Fee

£2,000 – 12 days of work at £166.66 per day, between June and November.

The distribution of days and how that time is managed will be worked out with the Audience Connector according to their availability, the key dates above, and the time needed to effectively complete each of the three phases.

You will also receive 2 sessions of 50 minutes with a wellbeing practitioner throughout this period.

Apply

If you are interested in this role, please use the online application form to apply. A link to the form can be found on the Work With Us page of BAC’s website. You will need to upload your CV as part of the online application. You will also be asked to answer three questions: why you would like to take on this work, why you as a person and your skills are a good fit for this role, and why you are interested in working with LIFT, BAC and the artists on The Making of Pinocchio.

All applications must be submitted by 10am Wednesday 10 May 2023. Successful shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend a Zoom interview during the week starting Monday 22 May 2023. We can provide a BSL interpreter if required.

If you would like further information, support with access requirements or an informal chat about the post please contact us by email at rebeccaj@bac.org.uk.

We look forward to receiving your application!