Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance

Community Ambassador for Dominique Morisseau's MUD ROW

People’s Light invites applications for the role of Community Ambassador to broaden the reach of the upcoming world premiere production, Mud Row by Dominique Morisseau, to diverse new and expanded audiences. Mud Row is the second production to emerge from the New Play Frontiers (NPF) residency & commissioning program at People’s Light.

NPF is a long-term initiative to conceive, develop, and produce new plays that explore our American identity through stories of deep meaning to specific local populations.  Acclaimed playwright Dominique Morisseau has engaged deeply with residents and stakeholders of West Chester, PA since beginning her NPF residency over five years ago.

The Community Ambassador will work closely with and report to the Director of Community Investment to implement Consensus Organizing for Theatre (CO) strategies with a range of communities, including residents of West Chester, PA with particular emphasis on African American residents – many of whom were instrumental in the inspiration and evolution of this piece – to achieve audience engagement goals expressed within the theatre’s long range plan toward inclusion and representation of underrepresented populations.  The Community Ambassador will also work closely with the Group Sales Associate, in facilitating group attendance to this production.

The Community Ambassador will be a key representative of the theatre – linking the creative work and artistic aspirations of the production to the interests and needs of community members as individuals and groups. The Community Ambassador will also be immersed in the creative process of this production at strategic times throughout the play’s evolution.

The Community Ambassador will identify and work with specific segments of the community who would be most responsive to the production. The Community Ambassador will directly engage with identified constituencies to connect and explore opportunities for involvement around the production, including, but not limited to play attendance.

Additionally, the Community Ambassador will:

  • build awareness and enthusiasm for this production at a grass roots level.
  • cultivate (and coordinate) new and returning patrons for individual and group ticket sales.
  • compose bi-weekly reports for senior staff on project progress and deliverables.
  • solicit and consolidate project data and information (feedback, quotes, photos/videos, etc.) for promotion, social media and reporting purposes.
  • draft content for promotional (i.e. blog posts) and reporting purposes.

The Ideal candidate will be an excellent communicator and listener, as well as a highly organized, friendly, focused, tenacious, thorough, diplomatic, and patient person. The person well-suited to this role will enjoy creative problem solving, thrive in social situations, and enjoy galvanizing others around a particular cause or event.

Qualifications include:

Project management experience

Experience as a cultural worker / activist / community organizer

Experience working with the African American Community in the Delaware Valley region

Proven track record of achieving deliverables on par with the goals and expectations of this position

Deadline-, results-, and detail-oriented

360-degree thinking, ability to connect the dots across agendas

 

Other requirements

Must have personal automobile or reliable transportation to engage in meetings with a diversity of community organizations across Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties at times that may extend beyond a traditional workday.

 

About the production

Mud Row

By Dominique Morisseau

Regine inherits a house she never wanted, while Toshi’s been squatting for three months. Elsie hopes to move up in the world; Frances fights to change it.  Two generations of sisters protect and defy the legacy of their foremothers in the once segregated African-American neighborhood of West Chester, PA, nicknamed “Mud Row” due to its racial composition and its geographic tendency to receive and retain storm water. Through the lives of these women, Dominique explores the legacy of W.E.B. Dubois, the 1960s Civil Rights movement, and the historic divide between African-Americans who seek to establish themselves as part of the upwardly mobile American culture and those who opt out or fight against it.

Production dates:  June 26 – July 28, 2019

 

Important dates

Submissions welcomed by April 2, 2019

Interviews will occur between April 2 – 11, 2019

Employment dates: April 18 – August 11, 2019

 

Key event dates/times:

May 21st & May 22nd 10am-6pm

May 30th 5-7pm

June 25th 7-10pm

June 30th 6-10pm

July 25th 5:30-7:30pm

 

This is a project-based, temporary staff position.

 

Compensation

The Community Ambassador will operate as an independent contractor on a W-9.

Total compensation for this position is $5000.

 

About New Play Frontiers

In 2013 we launched New Play Frontiers (NPF), a long-term initiative to conceive, develop, and produce new plays that explore our American identity through stories of deep meaning to specific local populations.  With NPF we invite nationally recognized playwrights to immerse themselves in nearby neighborhoods. We then commission these writers to create full-length plays that are inspired by their direct contact with our region. As we shepherd the plays from page to stage, we collaborate with community partners to attract new audiences and foster an environment that supports greater civic dialogue and engagement.

 

About People’s Light

Founded in 1974, People’s Light serves as one of Pennsylvania’s largest professional nonprofit theatres, known for our resident company of artists, eclectic mix of productions, and innovative work with young people. In our 8-9 play season, we present stories drawn from ancient times through tomorrow that have direct relevance to our communities and their concerns. In support of this range, we produce classics and contemporary plays, and commission and produce new work: of our 418 productions, over a third (164) have been world or regional premieres.

 

Mission:

People’s Light, a professional theatre in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration.