Employment

Current Employment Opportunities

Managing Director

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre | Milwaukee, WI | $85,000/year | Full-Time

Application Deadline: August 31, 2023

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is looking for a leader with financial management and audience development experience and a passion for theatre to serve as its next Managing Director.

Welcome to Milwaukee Chamber Theatre

“The mission of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is to produce intimate, high quality, professional theater works of literary merit that engage and challenge the audience, while employing and nurturing principally local theatre artists. Since 2020, MCT has pursued that mission under an expanded umbrella of representation and inclusion, centering local artists, and telling stories from unique voices that audiences won't see anywhere else in order to bridge divides in our community.”

- Milwaukee Chamber Theatre Mission Statement

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre was co-founded in 1975 by Montgomery Davis and Ruth Schudson, local actors who envisioned a space where audiences could open their minds to new theatrical ideas and where Milwaukee's theater professionals could broaden their skills and apply their craft. Davis served as the company’s Artistic Director for its first 30 years and helped permanently establish MCT as a bedrock arts institution in Milwaukee’s rapidly expanding arts scene. During the Davis years, MCT was well known for its commitment to promoting literature and big ideas and was distinctive for being the only theater in the United States to mount an annual festival of the works of George Bernard Shaw. Davis also guided the company through its first 18 years as a “roving” company performing in various venues around Milwaukee until it finally became an anchor resident tenant of the Broadway Theatre Center complex when it opened in 1993.

Davis announced his retirement in 2004, and C. Michael Wright, an esteemed local director and actor, was appointed as the company's second artistic director. Wright built upon MCT’s reputation and focused on producing expertly rendered and intimate productions featuring established and emerging local talent. Wright’s leadership heralded a new time of stability after some years of financial turmoil and MCT added programming centered on the development of new work and voices as part of his artistic vision. The Young Playwrights Festival and Montgomery Davis Play Development Series are hallmarks of Wright’s time as artistic leader, as well as an expanded commitment to local talent and a five-year cycle of presenting a Pulitzer Prize-winning play each season.

Wright retired at the end of the 2019/2020 season and Brent Hazelton was selected to lead MCT as its next Artistic Director. Hazelton came to MCT after 20 years at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the last ten of which he served as Associate Artistic Director and where he built and led both new play development efforts and a professional internship program, and was a frequent director. MCT has been without a Managing Director since Fall 2022. Because of this, Hazelton has been fulfilling all of the responsibilities of both the Managing Director and Artistic Director. Like many arts organizations across the country, MCT faced a major financial crisis due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and Hazelton led a fundraising campaign for long-term sustainability that successfully raised $1.5 Million in funding for the organization, which also allowed them to drastically extend their donor base.

Hazelton’s and the Board of Trustees’ vision is to build stronger ties between MCT and Milwaukee by expanding its audience base and producing works by and featuring artists that showcase the diversity of the city. MCT’s leadership is also looking to grow the organization substantially both financially and programmatically as it approaches its 50th anniversary and beyond.

MCT’s annual season of five play productions alternates between the 334-seat Cabot Theatre and 95-seat Studio Theatre of the Broadway Theatre Center. MCT maintains offices at the Broadway Theatre Center and has an annual budget of just over $1 Million and an 18-member Board of Trustees. Its staff of six full-time and three part-time is supported by dozens of professional local artisans and actors. You can find out more about the Board here, and the Staff here.

The Job

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s Managing Director works in partnership as a co-equal leader with the Artistic Director to bring the theater’s vision and mission to life by leading all aspects of the organization’s financial and operational functions. The Managing Director represents MCT by serving as a leader and representative of the theater among patrons, donors, media, and other community members. In addition to leading the financial and operational functions of the organization, the Managing Director works with the Artistic Director and the Board to establish and execute their strategic plan. The position reports to the Board of Trustees.

Your Roles and Responsibilities

Community Cultivation, Audience Development, and Marketing

Cultivate and maintain relationships with other organizations, businesses, and communities across the metropolitan Milwaukee area, especially those who have not historically had a relationship with MCT.
Assist in the cultivation of a diverse network of local and national artistic talent.
Collaborate with the marketing and communications team to develop effective strategies to promote MCT’s seasons, productions and programs.
Collaborate with the MCT staff and Board to enhance the branding of MCT.
Develop, maintain, and grow a robust and effective audience development plan to bring new and diverse audiences to MCT.
Represent MCT to the press and community, in conjunction with the Artistic Director.

Financial Management

Establish and lead an efficient, timely, and collaborative annual operating budget process.
Manage annual budget implementation and proactively monitor department expenditures to ensure compliance with budget allocations.
Manage day-to-day financial operations, including cash flow, payroll, accounts receivable, and accounts payable.
Present the financial status of the organization to the Board and executive staff regularly, including financial statements and cashflow projections.
Supervise the preparation of accounting entries (accrual, by department/class) to ensure accurate coding and that GAAP standards are met.
Generate data-driven financial forecasts and budgets in tandem with department leaders.
Analyze trends in revenues, expenses and other areas of business, to highlight risk and opportunities.
Lead the audit process with an outside accountant, ensuring that a clean, timely annual audit/990 filing is delivered to the Board and funders.
Work with the Artistic Director and Director of Development to create, implement, and monitor capital and major operating fundraising initiatives.
Work with the Development staff to ensure grant financials reporting is accurate, timely, and demonstrative of programs and priorities.

Operations and Administration

Manage day-to-day operations, ensuring efficient and effective organizational processes.
Implement and maintain policies and procedures to support the smooth functioning of the organization.
Manage administrative staff and collaborate with other team members to achieve organizational objectives. Direct reports include Development Director and Marketing and Communications Director. Dual direct reports with the Artistic Director include the Artistic Producer and Production Manager.
Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.

Development and Fundraising

Work with the Artistic Director, Director of Development, and the Board on the cultivation of donor relationships and the development of prospective donors and other avenues of fundraising, including Major Gifts, for the organization.

Board Relations and Governance

Work closely with the Board Chair and Executive Committee to provide updates on MCT’s operational issues, to consult on Strategic Planning and other emerging issues, and to ensure that financial and operational goals are aligned with the vision for MCT.
Assist in identifying and recruiting potential board members who can contribute to the organization’s success.
Develop and maintain a mutually supportive, respectful, and collaborative relationship with the Board of Trustees, collectively and individually.

Strategic Planning and Development

Collaborate with the Artistic Director to create and implement the strategic plan and both immediate and long-term goals to advance the mission and vision of MCT.
Identify new opportunities for growth, audience development, and community engagement.

Who are we looking for?

The top candidates will have the following qualifications:

Senior management or administrative experience in a nonprofit organization, with a strong preference for those with experience in theater.
A proven track record of successful audience development to increase engagement, attendance, and diversity of audience members.
A proven track record of successful financial management, including budgeting and fundraising.
Strong strategic planning and organizational development skills.
Experience in leading teams and managing operations of early and/or growth stage organizations.
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities, including public speaking and networking skills.
A strong passion for theater, familiarity with the performing arts industry, and an understanding of theater production processes.
Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups of stakeholders, including artists, staff, board members, and community members.
A demonstrated commitment to the values of antiracism, equity, and inclusion and demonstrated experience working with BIPOC artists and communities.
Demonstrated leadership in assuring that the artistic, human, and financial resources of the organization are effectively deployed with care and compassion.
A demonstrated history of cultivating relationships across a variety of communities.
A connection to or knowledge of the City of Milwaukee is a plus.

Salary and Benefits

Salary: $85,000/year.

Benefits Package:

Medical, Vision, and Dental Insurance
Paid Time Off, including unlimited Sick Time
11 Staff Holidays

How do I learn more? Visit emcforward.com to submit your application. Applications are due no later than August 31, 2023.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are based on individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, status with respect to public assistance or veteran status, or other status protected by law.