Wednesday, December 12, 2012

job notice | canadian badlands passion play

Three job notices from our friends at the Canadian Badlands Passion Play, running throughout the entire summer.


Crowd Director:
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is currently accepting applications for a Crowd Director for the summer of 2013. The contract would run from May 14th to July 21st, with a 4-day pre-rehearsal directors’ retreat Friday, March 29th to Monday, April 1st . There is also a mandatory post mortem meeting on Tuesday, July 23. The Passion Play work week runs Thursday through Monday.

Job Description:

Part of a directing team consisting of: Lead Directors (2 Co-Directors), Assistant/Fight Director

Due to the large number of volunteer performers involved in populating the world of the Passion Play, a Crowd Director is hired to deal specifically with the body of performers without lines that are imperative to many scenes. Experience in large scale story telling (i.e. Greek theatre, opera, etc.), corporate movement, and physical theatre is essential. The role of the Crowd Director is very similar to that of the 3rd AD in Film productions. Their job is to work as a liaison between the Directors and the large group of performers of the play to execute the vision of the Director/s for the play. They are responsible for:

  • Assigning crowd performers into small groups and large villages to provide the right amount of Men, Women, Children, Singers and Musicians into each crowd scene in the script.
  • Designing, creating, and implementing crowd movement that fulfills the story ideas and vision of the Lead Director/s, Musical Directors, Fight Directors and Choreographers.
  • Notating details of crowd blocking for the directors as needed.
  • Assisting Stage Management to keep track of the overall blocking of the crowd performers during all scenes.
  • Acting as a liaison between the individual performers of the crowd and the Lead Director/s, Musical Directors, Fight Directors and Choreographers by answering queries and questions or passing the questions on to the Directors at appropriate times to bring back the correct answers to the performers.
  • Assisting with performer moral by ensuring each individual performer feels they are important within the world of the play and the production as a whole.


The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is one of Canada's largest outdoor theatrical events. Now in its 20th season, the company annually depicts the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in dramatic form. An epic story told on an epic scale, this year's production features a creative retelling of the Gospel of John by a mixed professional/volunteer cast of approximately 200 actors in a 2700-seat outdoor amphitheatre.

Any interested applicants are encouraged to email a resume and cover letter to Ms. Ailsa Birnie at pplayproduction@me.com no later than December 5, 2012. Short listed candidates will be contacted for interviews in the first two weeks of December with a hiring decision by Christmas, 2012.

Assistant Director/Fight Director:
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is currently accepting applications for an Assistant/Fight Director for the summer of 2013. The contract would run from May 14th to July 21st, with a 3-day pre-rehearsal directors’ retreat Friday, March 29th to Monday, April 1st. There is also a mandatory post mortem meeting on Tuesday, July 23. The Passion Play work week runs Thursday through Monday.

Job Description:

Part of a directing team consisting of: Lead Directors (2 Co-Directors), Crowd Director

The Assistant/Fight Director’s responsibilities include the following:

  • Assisting the director with background research for the show.
  • Taking notes during rehearsal - usually on such elements as specific problem areas, character and relationship problems, actor-related blocking and acting problems, line notes, and so on.
  • Working with leads and principles on their blocking, scene work or character development as approved or designated by the Lead Director/s.
  • Directing specific scenes or components of scenes as designated by the Lead Director/s.
  • Ensuring the safety of the cast, crew, and audience in any sequences requiring aggressive physical contact.
  • Recommending to the Director the number and type of fighters needed for casting, conducting fight auditions and advising the director on casting of fighters.
  • Designing, creating, and implementing fight/action sequences that fulfill the story ideas and vision of the Lead Director/s, Musical Directors, and Choreographers
  • Rehearsing everyone who fights and assisting in additional combat/movement staging at the director's discretion.

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is one of Canada's largest outdoor theatrical events. Now in its 20th season, the company annually depicts the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in dramatic form. An epic story told on an epic scale, this year's production features a creative retelling of the Gospel of John by a mixed professional/volunteer cast of approximately 200 actors in a 2700-seat outdoor amphitheatre.

Any interested applicants are encouraged to email a resume and cover letter to Ms. Ailsa Birnie at pplayproduction@me.com no later than December 5, 2012. Short listed candidates will be contacted for interviews in the first two weeks of December with a hiring decision by Christmas, 2012.

Design Coordinator

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is currently accepting applications for the Design Coordinator for the summer of 2013. To facilitate Production deadlines for the project, the contract will be a flat rate fee for meeting dates and deadlines between Jan 1st/2013 through to July 15th/2013. The initial Design meetings and Drawing Deadlines would be in Early January 2013 and onsite production dates would be from early may to mid July.

Job Description:

The Design Coordinator is a person hired to function as a intermediary between the Directors and the production team during the final years of a production script where the goal is no longer creating new looks and pieces but maintaining and completing the look and idea of what was designed in the initial two years of a script. Once major design is done in year one and two the Design Coordinator assumes the responsibility for maintaining and or completing the original design concepts with repairs and additions that arise in the following three years. They function as a Fight or Dance captain would to the Fight Director or Choreographer but with more freedom to bring their own ideas into production.

This is the first year we will be using a Design Coordinator so this position may evolve as needed. The individual should be quick on their feet and amiable to suggestion and changing circumstance. Any experience with Landscape Design & Architecture and/or practical Construction Design & Architecture will be a strong asset as the Passion Play set and stage are a large exterior playing space housing a large cast made up of well over 150 performers and animals. The ideal candidate will be familiar with both standard theatre design concepts and film production design, as this production world lives a little in both.

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is one of Canada's largest outdoor theatrical events. Now in its 20th season, the company annually depicts the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in dramatic form. An epic story told on an epic scale, this year's production features a creative retelling of the Gospel of John. The script will be originated by a mixed professional/volunteer cast of approximately 200 actors in a 2600- seat outdoor amphitheatre.

Any interested applicants are encouraged to email a resume and cover letter to Ms. Ailsa Birnie at pplayproduction@me.com no later than December 10, 2012

No comments: