JOIN OUR TEAM: #Paprika23 Backstage Coordinator

Come join as the Backstage Coordinator for #Paprika23! This is a great training opportunity for emerging Assistant Stage Managers, Stage Managers, and folks interested in Festival Production.

Application Deadline: March 5, 2024 at Midnight
Contract Dates: April 22, 2024 – June 2, 2024
Position: Backstage Coordinator
Fee:  $1,750 with the potential to increase pending funding results (April 2024
Region: Downtown Toronto, ON
Term: Contract

Organization Description

Paprika Festival

For the past 23 years Paprika Festival, has been a year-round youth-led performing arts organization celebrating the work of young and emerging artists. All of the programs include a strong focus on mentorship and training, and are guided by the four core values of accessibility, artistic development, community and youth leadership. Paprika’s educational programs include Creators’ Unit, Playwriting Unit, Directors Lab, Design Lab, Indigenous Arts Program and Creative Producers. These programs run between October and May, culminating in the annual Festival. For more information, please visit our website, www.paprikafestival.com.

Role Description

Reporting to the Production Manager and Artistic Producer, the Backstage Coordinator will oversee the backstage elements of the 23rd annual Paprika Festival. This opportunity supports the Production Manager’s portfolio, and will work closely with other members of Paprika’s Technical team. This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain hand-on experience working on Stage Management within a live performing arts festival. All candidates are encouraged to apply, but the ideal candidate will be an early-career, emerging arts worker with a passion for Festival work.  

Contract dates: April 22 – June 2, 2024

Role:

How to Apply:

Please send the following to Julia Dickson, General Manager, via amanda@paprikafestival.com with the subject line: “Applicant, Backstage Coordinator”

  1. PDF resume
  2. 1-2 sentences in the email body detailing why you are interested in this opportunity
  3. Confirmation that you are / will be under 30 years old as of April 22, 2024 

Applications are due by 11:59PM ET on March 5, 2024.

Paprika is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Paprika is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Paprika will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, colour, religion or belief, sexuality, gender expression, family or parental status or any other legally protected grounds. Paprika encourages applicants of all ages. Accommodations are available throughout the hiring process.

Join the Paprika Team as Front of House Manager for #Paprika23! This is a great training opportunity for emerging Producers, Stage Managers, Production Managers, and folks interested in arts administration.

Application Deadline: March 5, 2024 at Midnight
Contract Dates: April 22, 2024 – June 2, 2024
Position: Front of House Manager
Fee:  $1,000 with the potential to increase pending funding results (April 2024)
Region: Downtown Toronto, ON
Term: Contract

Organization Description

Paprika Festival is an award-winning performing arts festival offering year-round programs for emerging artists (ages 18-30) in the Greater Toronto Area with hands-on training and personalized mentorship. Participants work with professional artists and artworkers to develop their artistic practice and apply their learning in rehearsals and labs. Artists share their work with the public during a free week-long festival every May in a celebration of community, workshops, and free food in Regent Park.

For more information, please visit our website, www.paprikafestival.com

Role Description

Reporting to the Associate Festival Producer and Artistic Producer, the Front of House Manager oversees front-facing elements of the 22nd annual Paprika Festival. This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain hand-on experience working in Front of House within a live performing arts festival. All candidates are encouraged to apply, but the ideal candidate will be an early-career, emerging arts worker with a passion for Festival work.  

Contract dates: April 22 – June 2 2024

Role:

Increases to role scope pending funding: 

How to Apply:

Please send the following to Julia Dickson, General Manager, via amanda@paprikafestival.com with the subject line: “Applicant, FOH Manager”

  1. PDF resume
  2. 1-2 sentences in the email body detailing why you are interested in this opportunity
  3. Confirmation that you are / will be under 30 years old as of April 22, 2024 

Applications are due by 11:59PM ET on March 5, 2024.

Paprika is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Paprika is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Paprika will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, colour, religion or belief, sexuality, gender expression, family or parental status or any other legally protected grounds. Paprika encourages applicants of all ages. Accommodations are available throughout the hiring process.

19 young and emerging artists are joining our training programs, led by some of the industry’s most ingenious artists, to learn, create, and share new work at our 23rd Annual Paprika Festival this Spring at Native Earth Performing Arts.

Artists will work with Paprika over the year to develop skills in playwriting, directing, collective creation, costume design, producing and beyond!

Say hey to some new (and returning) faces!

Directors Lab

Grace Lamarche

Grace Lamarche (she/her) is a Cree/Metis multidisciplinary artist and recent George Brown Theatre School graduate based in Toronto. Since graduating, she’s worked as a director, actor and arts administrator at varying theatre companies/festivals throughout Toronto, including the Paprika Festival, Toronto Fringe Festival, Theatre Gargantua, Alumnae Theatre, The Theatre Centre and Theatre of the Beat. Previous directing; Joyce and Florence (New Ideas Festival), BIRTH (Gears Theatre Company), DADA [as part of The StoryBoard is Dead] (George Brown Theatre School).

Hemali Sankalya Ratnaweera

Hemali (She/Her) has a background as a director and actor. Having completed her studies in Theatre and Economics at the University of Toronto, she is passionate about stories that uncover the complexities of our minds and environment, as well as how our identity and history (from our own life and before) inform our performance and how we choose to tell our stories. Her previous work as a director includes Between the Sheets (VCDS) and Cursed! (Bad Monster Theatre). She is excited for the opportunity to direct Chitra for this year’s Paprika Festival and thanks the Paprika Festival for this opportunity, as well as the cast and creative team for their hard work and time dedicated to this project.

Autumn Davis

Autumn Davis (She/Her) is a Des McAnuff award winning artist and actor. She obtained her BFA in Acting from TMU (Ryerson University) in 2022. Born and raised in Scarborough, she passionately attacks performance and creation with curiosity and joyful collaboration.

This enthusiastic mover and singer is simply jazzed to continually explore classic texts, dark comedies, directing, filmmaking and writing in whatever forms they may take.

Acting credits include:
Badhat’s Storybook Search (Bella/Ms.Locks), Obsidian’s Surviving a Widowed
Father (Alison), Guildwood Festival Theatre’s Alice in Wonderland (The Queen of
Hearts).

Directing/Writing credits include:
Paprika Festival – Mama Loves Her Pies
Human Lights Festival – All the Advice in the World
RHSA Fringe – Go Easy

Design Lab

Scotia Cox

Scotia Cox (she/her) is a Tkaronto-based stage manager, multi-disciplinary theatre designer and a recent graduate of TMU’s Performance Production program. Select theatre credits include: A Christmas Carol (Soup Can Theatre, Three Ships Collective), The Effect (Coalmine Theatre),

X and da Spirit (Theatre Passe Muraille), Trojan Girls and the Outhouse of Atreus (Outside the March, Factory Theatre), Art in Transit: Luminato on the Go! (Luminato Festival)

Camila Farah

Camila Farah (she/her) is a queer Brazilian-Canadian actor and costume designer. She is a Randolph College for the Performing Arts graduate. Credits as a costume designer include: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus; Pinkalicious: The Musical; The Rainbow Fish Musical; Princess and the Pea; Elephant and Piggie’s: We Are in a Play!; One Christmas Carol (TYT); The Other Place (Talk is Free Theatre); I Love You and it Hurts; Selah’s Song (Theatre of the Beat); A Dispute (Randolph). Follow her fabric and musical adventures on Instagram: @camilafarah.

Gabriel Woo

Gabriel Woo (they/them) is a natural born shopaholic turned costume designer and a recent graduate of the University of Toronto where they held a design monopoly on campus theatre during their final year of study. Gabe’s designs tend to draw inspiration from and reference pop culture and media while also emphasizing queerness and having a colour story being told in their work. Recent works that featured their costume design work include: Into the Woods (SMCT 22/23), Connections (TCDS 22/23), Acepto: I Do the Musical (VCDS 22/23), The Gray: A Wilde Musical in Concert (Hart House Theatre 2023), Featherhead (Birdbrain Theatre Collective for Toronto Fringe 2023) and Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2022) which won them Best Costume Design and Best Wig and Hair Design at the University of Toronto’s Drama Society’s 2023 Dougie Awards.

Outside of costume design, Gabe moonlights as the drag performer Milkshook, a local drag queen based in Toronto who performs irregularly at various venues and events including Queens of Dim Sum, Drag Pho the Win and other local queer stages. You can find more of Gabe’s art and Milkshook, as well as where they will be performing next at: @milkshookqueen. Gabe is very excited to be part of this year’s Paprika Design Lab team and grateful for the opportunity to further hone their talents, build skills and relationships with fellow creatives!

Playwrights Unit

Ameer Idreis

Ameer Idreis (He/Him) is a writer, playwright, and urbanist with a passion for storytelling steeped in and interrogating culture and identity. Releasing his debut novel in 2012, Ameer has been writing ever since – penning three novels, several academic and popular articles, and most recently working on award-winning and in-development plays. With a Master of Science in Planning from the University of Toronto, he brings this perspective to his exploration of both urban environments and fiction. Writing and urbanism aside, he enjoys watching coming-of-age movies, exploring forest trails, cooking his favourite Palestinian meals, and curating niche playlists.

Mina Zaghari

Mina Zaghari (She/Her) originally from Iran and now based in  Toronto, is a versatile artist, seamlessly blending acting, devising, puppeteering,  and contemporary dance. While holding a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering,  she pursued her passion for acting, ultimately earning a graduate degree in art  performance theatre from Humber College, enriching her artistic abilities. 

Her artistic journey involves collaborations with renowned companies like  Cahoots Theatre, Paprika Theatre, and Tirgan Theatre. Alongside acting, she  has directed and choreographed performances. As a passionate advocate for  physical theatre, she values the expressive power of the body’s silent language.  Her musical heart shines offstage with a mastery of the hand Pan, creating  harmonious symphonies that convey untold narratives through the body.

Mercedes Isaza Clunie

Mercedes (She/Her) is a queer, Chilean-Canadian playwright, actor, and poet from Toronto. Her work explores topics such as girlhood, culture, sexuality, and language through diverse formats that both disrupt traditional conventions and celebrate the essence of theatre. She holds a BFA in Acting from York University and is the recent recipient of the Wildfire Playwriting runner-up prize for her play ‘Gringas’, which will be presented at this year’s Toronto and Hamilton Fringe Festivals. Mercedes is passionate about creating work that celebrates her communities and makes strides towards a better and more art-filled Canada. She’s PUMPED to be a part of Paprika’s Playwriting Unit and has plans for world domination. Her friends refer to her as ‘Meche’ – colloquially.

Indigenous Arts Program

Aleria McKay

Aleria McKay (She/Her) comes from a Haudenosaunee & Teme Augama Anishnabai mother and Michif & Dene Tha father. She was raised on Six Nations of the Grand River and is proud to call her community home.

Aleria holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and Indigenous Studies and is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Education. A poet and playwright, her past works include And She Split The Sky in Two and Thunderstorms. Her most recent poetry collection, Sweetgrass & Cigarettes, was released in early 2023. Aleria is passionate about animals, pageants, and escape rooms.

Cindy Dzib

Cindy Dzib (she/her) is a Mexican international multi-disciplinary artist, writer, designer, communicator, facilitator and producer of mixed Maya and Spanish descent. She’s currently working as Lead Artist and Production Manager at Shadowland Theatre with the support of the Studio Lab Theatre Foundation and is a theater facilitator for kids at Community Arts Guild. Cindy has a Bachelor of Sciences and Techniques in Communication from Mexico and graduated in 2022 from the Advanced Diploma in Theatre Arts and Performance at Centennial College with the Dean’s Award of Academic Excellence.

She came to Canada with the dream of expanding her creativity in a richer arts industry with the support of the International Scholarship for High Performance Creators by Fundación Pablo García 2019-2022 and has worked in companies such as Outside the March, Jumblies and The Coal Mine. Last year, as part of the Indigenous Arts Program at Paprika, Cindy wrote her first one-person show “My Name”, which explored the themes of war and reconciliation between her Maya and Spanish ancestors. She believes in the power art holds to bring people together and is passionate about spaces for community through art. Her work studies indigenous wisdom, connection, energy, nature, consciousness, and seeks to share the value of Unity with the world. You can find her on Instagram @cindydzib_ doing other fun stuff like dancing and saying hi to doggies on the street.

Kole Dunford

Kole Durnford (he/him) is a Métis actor and playwright based in Toronto. A graduate of the acting program at Toronto Metropolitan University, Kole is a two time Dora nominated actor. As a writer, his first play ECHO was recently produced for a third time as part of Next Stage 2023. At 22 years old, Kole became one of the youngest writers ever produced at the festival. His follow up, SKYSCRAPER, is currently in development with support from Native Earth Performing Arts and the Banff Centre. He is also currently performing in Insert Clown Here at the Theatre Centre! @koledurnford

Emily Granville

Emily Granville is an Odawa-Cree student from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island, ON. She learned trumpet and piano while in high school, after which they attended Cambrian College for Music Performance, opting to major in piano. Now in the Bachelor of Music program at Wilfrid Laurier University, she aspires to further their career and education in music, with an interest in composition, performance and ethnomusicology.

Emily has participated and is involved within the Indigenous community and music; being involved as a National Indigenous Ambassador of Youth with We Matter, part of the Venus Music Festival Mentorship Program as a mentee, taking part in the Indigenous Classical Music Gathering at Banff Centre in Banff, AB, volunteering as a piano teacher for the Community Music School of Waterloo Region.

Creative Producers

Keira Marie Forde

Keira Marie Forde (She/They) is a multidisciplinary performer and creator who has been working in culturally relevant pedagogy and arts for over seven years.
Keira’s artistic contribution has focused on amplifying stories for people under the youth category (under 30) in Toronto through various work as a performer, producer, sound artist, arts educator and coordinator.

Keira’s recent performance credits include the sold-out production Riot based on the Christie Pits Riot with Hogtown Collective, What’s So Funny with Carousel Players, and her original digital work titled No More News for Nancy with Alberta-based company Major Matt Mason Collective.
Keira, as an arts educator and coordinator, has worked with over eight different Theatre for Young audiences companies/festivals across Canada and was one of the artists selected to be a Peel region school board ambassador for Wellness Wednesday.

Keira is committed to her practice in culturally relevant arts and allows her intersectionality of being a Bi-racial artist with roots from Trinidad to inspire her work in movement, music and mask work. Keira is thankful for her mentors who inspired her to fulfill her passion for bringing personal arts into community spaces and especially thankful to David Norsworhty and the entire Toes for Dance team who allows her to work in her favourite discipline in the arts by being the Toes For Dance Outreach and volunteer coordinator. https://keiraforde.com

Cassandra Henry

Cassandra Henry (She/Her) is an emerging actor, playwright, producer and singer. A graduate of York University’s theatre program, she has developed her craft of acting in theatre and singing in musical theatre from the age of 10. Having studied, musical theatre, classical music, the Laban movement, the Alexander technique and the The Batdorf Technique, she has learned the practice of creating a character from the inside out, creating unique voices for characters that contribute to meaningful and memorable performances for all audiences, with the emphasis and drive of creating representation and inclusivity for BIPOC and neurodiversity in theatre and film.

Creators Unit

Reid Martin

​Reid Martin (She/Her) is a Toronto-based actor, singer, and performer. She is a graduate of Sheridan College and UTM’s Theatre and Drama Studies program, she holds a diploma in Professional Actor Training and an HBA Specialist Degree in Theatre and Drama.

Recent credits include Sarah in After Prom (Theatre Aquarius), Mother in Innocence Lost (Theatre on the Ridge), Swing for #11, #25, and #46 in The Wolves (All the Hats), and Desdemona in Othello (Knockout Theatre), amongst many others.

Outside of theatre Reid loves everything textiles from sewing to embroidery to knitting! And yes her closet is exploding, Thank you for asking! Ask her about anything board games, cats or sitcoms and she will also talk your ear off.

Reid has a great passion for all kinds of theatre, but recently devised theatre has really allowed her to explore her love of community. And she is so excited to be welcomed into the Paprika community to see what magic we create together!

Caleigh Adams

Caleigh (She/Her) is an emerging actor, writer and theatre creator, based in the GTA. Trained in devised and physical theatre through Humber’s Theatre Performance Program, she is drawn to socially engaged and physically rigorous projects. After spending time in film school, she hopes to combine her enthusiasm for film production with her lifelong love of theatre and pop culture. Since graduating from Humber in 2021, she has kept her craft alive by always being on the move, writing, spending time outdoors, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and doing what she calls “paid artistic research”, or what others might call “working in the service industry”. Caleigh is eager to collaborate with more extraordinary Canadian artists and create work with kindness, joy, a sense of humour and camp! 

Mackenzie Mccallum-Mallory

Mackenzie Mccallum-Mallory (he/him) is a transgender, multi-disciplinary artist. He is a playwright, photographer, projectionist, puppeteer, dancer, and sound designer. He’s interested in creating more spaces for queer artists to share space, collaborate, and create with care. His work spans from topics of sex and sexuality, kink, queer identity, and neurodivergence. He’s interested in choreographic research and the process of experimentation and discovery over polished completion.

Selected credits include: Eyes on Beginnings (Toronto Dance Theatre, 2022), TDT Emerging Artist’s Roundtable (Theatre Gargantua, 2023), Summer Company Apprentice (Clay and Paper Theatre, 2023), Queer Youth Cabaret: Queer Icons (Soulpepper, 2022), QUEERCAB: PLAYING WITH ABUNDANCE (Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 2022). He is also a graduate of York University’s Theatre BFA (’23) with a focus in Performance Creation.

Reena Goze

Reena Goze (she/they) is a Filipinx-Canadian multidisciplinary theatre artist and educator from Milton, ON. Armed with a deep love of collective creation, discovery, and spicy cucumber salad, Reena seeks to learn and execute as many methods of storytelling as possible! Select acting credits: Mom/Holly/Teacher in Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls (Roseneath Theatre) Everybody in Everybody; #7 Striker in The Wolves (Theatre Erindale). Select directing credits: Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties (EDSS); PHOTOGRAPH (Beck Festival of Creation). Reena is honoured to create alongside the stellar artists that is the 2023/4 Creator’s Unit, xLq, and the Paprika Festival team. <3

Reena Goze appears with the permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association.

Paprika-Its Priceless

Thank you for reading all the way through! If you’re one of the amazing people who are deeply invested in Paprika, we ask that you consider becoming a donor for our Paprika-It’s priceless end of year campaign. This helps a lot towards creating barrier free opportunities for our participants!

Donate Now!

Paprika is launching our new monthly donor campaign: Paprika Regulars!

We are hoping to build our community of monthly donors to continue to uplift and engage the incredible emerging artists we get to work with.

For as low of the price of your usual Starbucks order, we’d love to have you join our Paprika Regulars Community!

The first 20 people who sign on for monthly donorship at any level will receive a limited edition Paprika Drake Meme Mug by October 2023. 

Our festival couldn’t run without the ongoing support from folks like you! So why not #PayItForward to the Paprika Festival and become a #PaprikaRegular today 

Help support the future of theatre and arts education opportunities.

Donate Now!

#PaprikaRegulars

WHO WILL BE PAPRIKA’S NEXT TRIVIA CHAMPION?

It’s Paprika’s 23nd Anniversary, and we’re raising funds to support our ground-breaking, free-of-charge, year-round, professional theatre training and mentorship programs, as well as our culminating yearly Festival.

Join our 9th annual trivia night and Paprika Theatre Festival fundraiser, at the Fox & Fiddle on Danforth.

The Paprika Theatre Festival is a registered not-for-profit charitable organization. Your Trivia ticket will include a full tax receipt sent following the event. 

DETAILS

THREE ROUNDS OF TRIVIA THROUGH THE DECADES (‘90s, ‘00s, ‘10s)Once you’ve rallied your pals and everyone has a ticket, please designate ONE team captain to register your team name and email via this Google Form before April 27 so that we can set up tables in advance. We recommend teams cap at six people.

Ticket Types:

General Admission – $30

General Admission + Lifeline $35

Sponsor a spot $30 – Paprika’s choosing (offered to participants) 

Paprika Festival is a youth-led professional performing arts organization. We run year round professional training and mentorship programs that culminate in a performing arts festival of new work by young artists.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS

Click here to book your Trivia Ticket (Including Tax Receipt!)

Our Call for Participants has just dropped and we are excited to meet you! We are inviting applications from young and emerging artists 18-30 across the GTA to apply to our six free professional development programs for the 2023/2024 season. If you think a professional development program, festival environment, and creative incubator is for you, we encourage you to apply for the 23rd Annual Paprika Theatre Festival! During Paprika, artists will have the opportunity to lead their own creative processes with the support of their professional mentors and peers. Programs begin November 2023 and culminate in a performing arts festival of new works by young artists at the Native Earth Performing Arts Aki Studio in May 2024.

This year’s programs include: 

Playwrights Unit facilitated by Merlin Simard

Costume Design Lab facilitated by Joyce Padua

Creative Producers facilitated by Aria Evans

Creators Unit facilitated by xLq (Maddie Bautista and Jordan Campbell)

Directors Lab facilitated by Philip Geller 

Indigenous Arts Program facilitated by Brefny Caribou 

Those interested are invited Explore all six available programs here and click through to apply. This year, we are inviting applications from young and emerging artists based in the GTA area. Programs will be delivered online and in-person in theatres and offices across Toronto.

Applications will be accepted through multiple mediums including audio, video, pdf attachment, or text box entry. We’re dedicated to make this application work for you (so that you can make your work!). If you need additional or alternative accommodations, please email cheyenne@paprikafestival.com

COVID-19 Considerations

The health and safety of participants, facilitators, and staff is our greatest priority. We encourage all Paprika participants, staff, facilitators and guest artists to maintain regular vaccinations, including additional doses/boosters. Masking during group sessions will be discussed and decided upon by each program. Masking will be optional for all company meetings, and no one will be discouraged from wearing masks. Paprika will continue to provide KN95 or N95 face masks (or equivalent) upon request. Masking and rapid testing of all artists and staff will be required throughout Paprika’s tech week in May 2024. 

Training Days + Company-Wide Meetings

Starting in November, we bring together all program participants for monthly Training Day sessions, starting with a Company-wide Orientation in the fall and finishing with a Post-Festival Debrief just after closing. 

Workshop topics ranging from accessibility design, to how to plan your festival tech, a Technical Theatre Workshop with an introduction to stage management and theatre design, and building a career in the arts. These workshops are held online and in-person, and are a chance for participants to meet and work with one another (and find future collaborators!).

Accessibility

Paprika seeks to lower barriers for all its programs. This year, we are offering transportation support when requested, food and snacks at program events, as well as a $1,200 participant honorarium. 

Company-wide Training Days take place in venues accessible to folks using mobility devices.The Paprika Festival tech and performances will take place at Native Earth Performing Arts’ Aki Studio, which is fully accessible for artists and audiences.

Paprika advocates for gender inclusive washrooms, and will negotiate for gender inclusive washroom signage whenever possible. We use and respect people’s pronouns. Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, LGBTQ2SIA+, Women, Trans, Non-Binary, Newcomer, Immigrant, Fat, Mad and Neurodiverse people are welcome.

Internet and a smartphone, tablet and/or computer are required for participation in Paprika’s programs. Our programs are not accessible to Deaf or Blind artists at this time. Group meetings can be recorded and shared internally to accommodate schedule conflicts and emergencies with prior notice to the program facilitator and Paprika staff. 

The Creators Unit group meetings are held in a venue accessible to most mobility devices, with the smallest hallway 33” wide and small ¼-½” lips in some of the studio doorways.

Indigenous Arts Program and Playwrights Unit group meetings will be held online leading up to in-person tech and festival. 

Directors Lab group meetings and rehearsals take place in a venue that is wheelchair accessible, with elevator access, and the door to the studio and washrooms in the building are wide enough for mobility devices, but are not automatic. 

Programming space for the Design Lab and Creative Producers has not been confirmed, but we endeavor to secure accessible space whenever possible.

Deadline for all applications is October 1st, 2023 @ 11:59 PM EST

Are you into the intersection of arts and operations? Love a good spreadsheet? Like to build systems and make 👏 things  👏 happen  👏? Want to learn more about how a small arts organization operates day to day? Join our team this summer as an arts administrator for the Paprika Theatre Festival! 

This is a great training opportunity for emerging artsworkers, administrators, producers, general managers and aspirational organizational leaders.

Application Deadline: Sunday July 2, 2023 at midnight
Contract Dates: July 17, 2023 – September 1, 2023
Position: Arts Administrator
Fee: $15.50/hour for 35 hours/week, plus vacation pay. We recognize that most emerging artists and artsworkers are balancing multiple jobs and freelance projects — the hours and schedule for this position are flexible and accommodations can be made in order for you to meet other existing commitments.
Region: Downtown Toronto, ON
Term: Contract

Organization Description

Paprika Festival

For the past 22 years,  Paprika Festival has been a year-round youth-led performing arts organization celebrating the work of young and emerging artists. All of the programs include a strong focus on mentorship and training, and are guided by the four core values of accessibility, artistic development, community and youth leadership. Paprika’s educational programs include Creators Unit, Playwrights Unit, Directors Lab, Design Lab, Indigenous Arts Program and Creative Producers. These programs run between November and May, culminating in the annual Festival. For more information, please visit our website, www.paprikafestival.com.

Role Description

Reporting to the General Manager and Artistic Producer, the Arts Administrator will support with administrative tasks related to development and sponsorship, contracting and engagement, policy-making, strategic planning and operations, institutional knowledge and information management, copy-editing, and assisting in preparation for the next call for #Paprika23 participants. This position offers an excellent opportunity to gain hand-on experience working in arts administration within a youth-run arts organization and live performing arts festival. 

As this role is funded by Canada Summer Jobs, candidates must be between 15-30 at the beginning of their employment (if your 30th birthday is on or after July 18, you can still apply!), and a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or person granted refugee status, and legally entitled to work in Canada currently residing within the Greater Toronto Area. If you have any questions about these restrictions, please contact keshia@paprikafestival.com

This role is a predominately remote position, with limited in person hours required which can be scheduled around the employee. 

Contract dates: July 17 – September 1, 2023

Role:

How to Apply:

Please send the following to Keshia Palm, Artistic Producer, via keshia@paprikafestival.com with the subject line: “Applicant, Arts Administrator”:

  1. PDF resume
  2. Cover Letter OR short video (2 minute max) telling us why you’d be excited to work with Paprika specifically as an arts administrator

Applications are due by midnight, July 2, 2023. Interviews will take place over Zoom July 10-12.

Paprika is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Paprika is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Paprika will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, colour, religion or belief, sexuality, gender expression, family or parental status or any other legally protected grounds. Accommodations are available throughout the hiring process.

Free and by donation tickets are available now for the 22nd Annual Paprika Festival!

Celebrating 5 seasons of the Indigenous Arts Program, Paprika Theatre Festival launches its 22nd annual festival with 14 live in-person performances and community events from May 16-21, 2023

Paprika Theatre Festival, recognized as one of the most crucial launching pads for emerging artists in Toronto’s theatre ecology, announces its 22nd annual Paprika Theatre Festival. Kicking off on May 16th, the festival’s Pay-What-You-Can ticket model  with a free option  opens doors for Torontonians to experience an amazing lineup of workshops, presentations, community discussions, staged readings, and community events in the Regent Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto on a budget that works for their wallet. The work of eighteen young and emerging artists will be showcased, offering a glimpse into the exciting future of Canadian Theatre. The Paprika Festival runs May 16 to 21, 2023, with in-person events occurring at Native Earth Performing Arts’ Aki Studio. Learn more about this year’s programming and participants, and book your free ticket or purchase Pay-What-You-Can festival tickets here. 

“Over the past eight months, Paprika’s eighteen participants, seven facilitators, staff, festival team, and a whole network of mentors and guest artists have been coming together online and in person to collaborate, learn, play, and share together. We are opening ourselves up to working and being together again, and moving through big conversations and questions that come up along the way — in projects, programs, rehearsals, creation, the festival, and theatre itself.” – Keshia Palm, Artistic Producer, Paprika Festival

“This season marks five seasons since the launch of Paprika’s Indigenous Arts Program, introduced by past General Manager Leslie McCue in 2017. We’re incredibly excited to be marking this anniversary milestone and to invite you to celebrate alongside us. Since the inception of this program, we have seen 18 Indigenous Artists through the program, including 6 projects which continued to have another life beyond Paprika. We’re grateful for those who have supported us in achieving this milestone, including our partners at Native Earth Performing Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, and TO Live.” – Julia Dickson, General Manager, Paprika Festival

“It has been so rewarding to grow my artistic leadership practice alongside the IAP program. There is so much to celebrate with our participants sharing their work in progress, and engaging artists for our additional community programming.” – Cheyenne Scott, Community Programming Producer, Paprika Festival 

Paprika Festival 2023 highlights include: 

Vishmayaa Jeyamoorthy, Max Cameron Fearon, and Sooji Kim from the lighting focused Design Lab will collaborate with participants in the festival to provide lighting design for the Directors Lab, Playwright’s Unit and the Creators unit, with guidance from their facilitator Echo Zhou.

______________________________

Community programming:

This year’s #Paprika22 Community events include a Clown & Bouffon Workshop facilitated by Janice Jo Lee on May 18th 6:00 PM in the Aki Studio, which will offer an 1-hour facilitated  exploration of this playful performance and style

We’ve also curated a fabulous line-up of Indigenous drag performers for an Indigenous Drag Brunch, where they’ll be lip syncing to your favourite tunes, over your choice of pancakes or fry bread smothered in maple syrup and cooked by your very own Paprika staff. This fun immersive event takes place in the Community Living Room in the lobby of the Daniels Spectrum Lobby on May 20 at 12:30 PM. 

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Get Social

Website – www.paprikafestival.com 

Facebook – @PaprikaFestival 

Instagram – @PaprikaFestival 

#Paprika22

FESTIVAL | Learn more about this year’s programming and participants here.

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Paprika Festival | Established in 2001, Paprika runs year-round professional training and mentorship programs that culminate in a performing arts festival of new work by young and emerging artists. Paprika Festival gratefully acknowledges the support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, and Department of Canadian Heritage. The Paprika Festival is also made possible by The Metcalf Foundation and the Stratford Festival. To join our community of donors to support the next generation of theatre artists, visit www.paprikafestival.com/support.  


Native Earth Performing Arts | Founded in 1982, Native Earth is Canada’s oldest professional Indigenous theatre company. Native Earth is dedicated to developing, producing and presenting professional artistic expressions of the Indigenous experience in Canada. Through stage productions (theatre, dance and multidisciplinary art), new script development, apprenticeships and internships, Native Earth seeks to fulfill a community of artistic visions. It is a vision that is inclusive and reflective of the artistic directions of members of the Indigenous community who actively participate in the arts.

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The Paprika Festival gratefully acknowledges support from the following:

Government Funders: Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council

Department of Canadian Heritage

Festival Partner: Native Earth Performing Arts

Lead Lab Partner Playwrights Unit Digital Partner: Stratford Festival 

Festival Incubator Sponsor: TD Bank Group  

Office Partner: Outside the March

Program Partners: The AMYProject, bcurrent, Cahoots Theatre, Metcalf Foundation, Tarragon Theatre, T.O. Live, Why Not Theatre

Printing Partner: Eva’s Initiatives

Community and Industry Partners: Paul Butler + Christopher Black Foundation, The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Charles Street Video, Factory Theatre, The Toronto Fringe, Nightwood Theatre, University of Toronto – Department of Drama, Theatre, Performance Art, Impact Partners: Means of Production, National Arts Centre, Toronto Arts Foundation, Work in Culture

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For more information and to arrange interviews, please contact: 

Juliet Jones-Rodney (Communications Producer) — juliet@paprikafestival.com

WHO WILL BE THE TRIVIA CHAMPION?

Paprika’s annual TRIVIA NIGHT Fundraiser, hosted by Ryan G. Hinds, is back! We’re pulling from the ’90s, ’00s and ’10s, so polish off your nostalgic and current knowledge (only the fun stuff!) and join us for Trivia Through the Decades! 

With your help, we will raise funds to support the free-of-charge training, mentorship and creative work of the young artists participating in the annual Paprika Theatre Festival taking place this year from May 16-21 at the Aki Studio, Native Earth Performing Arts. 

Join us on Monday, April 24th with doors at 7:30 pm at the Firkin on Bay Street. Trivia starts at 7:45 pm. sharp and runs about two hours. 

We recommend putting together a team of two – six people maximum. Please note that each guest needs their own ticket to enter. 

We will contact all registrants in advance to confirm your team name, team captain and members.

There will be prizes for the winners of each round and a special prize for the ultimate winners!

Limited tickets may be available at the door (cash only). And bring a little extra cash for those famous Paprika life-lines! All proceeds go directly to Paprika programming. 

The Paprika Theatre Festival is a registered not-for-profit charitable organization.

Check out www.paprikafestival.com for more information!

GET YOUR TICKETS

Are you a young or emerging artist interested in trying something new, deepening your artistic practice, and creating new work alongside a community of peers? Join us to see your ideas come to life with the 22nd annual Paprika Festival!

We are inviting young and emerging artists under 30 to apply to our six free professional development programs for the 2022/2023 season. At Paprika, artists lead their own creative process with the support of their peers and professional mentors. Programs begin November 2022 and culminate in a performing arts festival of new works by young artists at the Native Earth Performing Arts Aki Studio in May 2023.

This year’s programs include: 

Indigenous Arts Program facilitated by Brefny Caribou

Playwrights Unit facilitated by Bilal Baig

Directors Lab facilitated by Philip Geller

Design Lab (lighting design focus) facilitated by Echo Zhou

Creators Unit (collective creation) facilitated by xLq

Creative Producers (for IBPOC, LGBTQ2SIA+ women, trans and non-binary artists) facilitated by Kitoko Mai

Explore all six available programs here and click through to apply. This year, we are inviting applications from young and emerging artists based in the GTA area. Programs will be delivered online and in-person in theatres and offices across Toronto.

Applications will be accepted through multiple mediums including audio, video, pdf attachment, or text box entry. We’re dedicated to make this application work for you (so that you can make your work!). If you need additional or alternative accommodations, please email Community Programming Producer Cheyenne Scott at cheyenne@paprikafestival.com.

Paprika seeks to lower barriers for all its programs. This year, we are offering transportation support when requested, food and snacks at program events, as well as a $600 participant honorarium. 

In consideration of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of participants, facilitators, and staff is our greatest priority. All Paprika participants, staff, facilitators and guest artists are required to present valid proof of full vaccination, and must have received an additional dose/booster within the last 6 months as recommended by the Public Health Agency of Canada before attending any in-person events. Masks will be worn by all attendees for all in-person program activities and rehearsals. 

Indigenous artists who are interested in participating in the Indigenous Arts Program may also participate in an additional program stream and will receive full support through both programs. These artists will have the option to return for a second year of project development through IAP. If you have any questions about the Indigenous Arts Program, please feel free to email Cheyenne Scott, the Community Programming Producer at cheyenne@paprikafestival.com

All artists are encouraged to apply to as many programs as interest them. Currently, only the Indigenous Arts Program allows artists to participate in another Paprika program in the same year.

Deadline for all applications is October 3rd, 2022 @ 11:59 PM EST