Would you like to be a Young Curator at Backstage Theatre?
Are you aged between 18 and 25 and interested in getting experience in artistic programming and planning? Would you like to work with young curators in the Nasc network of theatres and arts centres across the country?
This is your opportunity to put your stamp on a programme of events and to work with venue managers and fellow Curators to create an exciting programme of events across any art-form from theatre, music, and dance to film and visual arts for young audiences in Longford and nationwide.
You’ll also gain invaluable experience at the heart of the Irish arts industry and make connections with artists, promoters, theatre makers, and musicians across the country.
Backstage and its partner venues in the Nasc Touring Network, with the support of the Arts Council, have teamed up to present a Young Curators Festival programme across all eight venues in the network in June 2024.
Building on two years of exciting work by brilliant young people, this year the Nasc Network venues have extended their Young Curator programme to run from June 2023 to June 2024, allowing the Curators time for training, research and development in 2023, before programming and confirming their festival programme in June 2024.
Throughout the programme Curators will have the opportunity to meet up with other young curators from across the NASC Network, both online and in person as well as opportunities to attend industry events such as Galway International Arts Festival and Dublin Fringe Festival. Curators will also be provided with mentoring from Industry Professionals and guidance across a number of areas including marketing, budgeting, and time-management.
Who should apply?
The programme is ideal for those ages 18 to 25 who would like to gain experience in working in the arts, especially those interested in venue and festival management and programming. We welcome expressions of interest from students and recent arts graduates and also those coming from less traditional educational backgrounds. We encourage applications by people from a diversity of national, ethnic or cultural groups, including, but not limited to, Asian, Black, Traveller and minority ethnic, refugees, people with disabilities, neurodiversity people, working-class and LGBTQI+
The Curator will ideally:
• Be from Longford, based in Longford or have strong connections or links to the county
• Be passionate about the arts and attending live performance
• Have good organisational, budgeting, communication and time-management skills
• Have an interest in & experience of digital and social media
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced environment as part of a small team
• Have an ambition to continue working in the arts
• Have an interest programming and presenting work from concept to performance
Practicalities:
• Please note that the project will require a part-time commitment to undertake the programme brief – estimated at approx. 6-8 hours per week.
• Attendance of mentoring and meet-ups, as well as 2 or 3 days of attendance at network events/field trips will be required. Development of the programme may be undertaken remotely or in Backstage.
• Curators will be required to attend the events they have programmed.
• Curators will be linked with the Young Curator mentor and other curators across the network to develop their programme and will work closely with the Backstage team to develop and promote the festival.
• Curators may be studying arts at third level, but this is not a requirement.
• Agreed expenses will be paid including travel to network events, and the Curators will be allocated a programme budget to manage.
• A fee will be paid to the Curators to award them for their participation.
Closing date for applications
If interested please email no later than 1pm on Friday 14th July telling us a little bit about yourself and why you want to participate in this programme (max 300 words). Please read all information before submitting.
About the Nasc Network
Established in 2006, the Nasc Network is a partnership of eight venues who work together to present touring projects and share marketing and other areas of expertise. The network previously presented a Young Curators festival during lockdown in June 2021. The Nasc Network Venues are An Grianán Theatre (Letterkenny), Backstage (Longford), Dunamaise (Port Laoise), Glór (Ennis), The Lime Tree (Limerick), The Pavilion (Dun Laoghaire), Siamsa Tíre (Tralee) and Town Hall Theatre Galway