Rumble’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for the position of Artistic Director.

About Rumble

Rumble Theatre produces contemporary plays from the Canadian and world repertoire, commissions and produces new adaptations of outstanding stories, and fosters meaningful interactions between emerging and established artists. Rumble believes that theatre is a place where community is built, a place where we can gather together to gain a deeper understanding of our selves and greater empathy for our neighbours.

The guiding principles that direct Rumble’s work are:

• We are driven by curiosity about the world.
• We believe in listening with compassion.
• We create with a spirit of generosity.

About the position

Our new Artistic Director will be responsible for:

• Curating and communicating a compelling artistic vision for Rumble, providing the company and its stakeholders with artistic leadership;
• Coordinating and overseeing all of Rumble’s artistic activities, including the creation of commissioned adaptations and the development of new projects;
• Overseeing Rumble’s mentorship programs for emerging artists;
• Working in conjunction with the Managing Producer to:
  • Convey Rumble’s artistic vision to public and private funders;
  • Review allocation of resources to implement artistic choices;
  • Represent Rumble to donors and local/national theatre communities.

The Artistic Director works in partnership with the Managing Producer and Director of Operations, reporting directly to the Board. Rumble can accommodate the Artistic Director’s occasional non-Rumble artistic work.

Ideally, the position will start in August 2018.  The role is full-time with a salary of $42,000, plus extended benefits. To accommodate existing commitments of potential candidates, Rumble is flexible for the position to be part-time for the first year.

Rumble’s ideal candidate for Artistic Director has:

• At least five years of theatre experience;
• Knowledge of national and Vancouver-based theatre communities and practices;
• A passion for relationship building, mentorship of emerging artists, dramaturgy, curation, facilitation, and process;
• A demonstrated ability to engage communities.

Rumble is committed to meaningful inclusivity and to building equitability within and amongst Vancouver’s communities. We strongly encourage submissions from individuals who self-identify as being from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds. Unfortunately, our current office space is on the second floor with no elevator access.

How to apply

Please email your resume and one-page Expression of Interest to Christie Watson (cwatson@rumble.org) by July 2, 2018, 11:59PM PST.  We thank everyone who applies for their interest, but only candidates advancing in the process will be contacted. All applications will be treated confidentially.

To download a hard copy of the call, click here: Job Opportunity – Rumble Theatre Artistic Director

Rumble is currently seeking two individuals with a passion for great theatre to serve on our Board as Directors-at-Large.

Requirements include:

• A commitment to the work of Rumble Theatre;
• Willingness to attend and participate in monthly Board meetings;
• Attendance at our Annual General Meeting, AGMapalooza;
• Serving on either our Board Development (Governance) Committee or our Resource Development Committee;
• Attendance at special events, including productions;
• Annual financial support of Rumble Theatre, at a level that is comfortable to you.

Time commitment: Approx. 5-10 hours per month

Mission Statement
At Rumble Theatre we believe in creating a more compassionate world through the communal sharing of stories. We explore our history though commissioning and producing new adaptations of outstanding narratives, we investigate the present moment through producing contemporary plays from the Canadian and world repertoire, and we act as champions of Vancouver’s emerging artists to ensure a vital future. We believe that the theatre can be a place where community is built; a place where we can gather together to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, and greater empathy for our neighbours.

History
For over two decades Rumble Theatre has served as a vital member of the Vancouver theatre community. Rumble has initiated and founded unique community events and arts festivals (PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, Tremors Festival, the HIVE series), we have provided crucial development guidance to emerging companies and artists, and we have generated productions of great courage and audacity (Clark and I Somewhere in Connecticut, Snowman, Blackbird, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Indian Arm, The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius). We are co-founders and residents of Progress Lab 1422, a shared theatre production and administrative space in East Vancouver with Neworld Theatre, Electric Company Theatre, and Boca del Lupo.

As part of our ongoing commitment to create an organization that is representative of our Vancouver, we strongly encourage applications from members of traditionally underrepresented communities.

For more information or to apply, please contact:

Christie Watson, Managing Producer
E-mail: cwatson@rumble.org
Phone: 604-662-3395

Peter Anderson in The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius. Photo: Tim Matheson.

by Colleen Murphy
Adapted from William Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus

Produced by Rumble Theatre and presented by The Cultch

Nov 22 – Dec 3, 2017 at The Cultch’s Historic Theatre

Nominated for eight 2018 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards in the Small Theatre category, including:

*Outstanding Production
*Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble – Sarah Afful, Peter Anderson, Craig Erickson, Pippa Mackie & Naomi Wright
*Outstanding Lighting Design – Sophie Tang
*Outstanding Set Design – Drew Facey
*Outstanding Costume Design – Drew Facey
*Outstanding Sound Design or Original Composition – Mishelle Cuttler
*Outstanding Direction – Stephen Drover
*Outstanding Original Script – Colleen Murphy

Here’s what the critics said about the show:

“The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius is deranged, darkly funny, and perverse, but its subversiveness also serves a purpose, and it makes for an unforgettable experience” — Andrea Warner, The Georgia Straight

“I can’t recommend this show enough” — Paul Durras, BC BookWorld

“The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius encourages us to get comfortable with discomfort, to revel in the outrageous and to trade our tears for laughter” — Lauren Donnelly, Vancouver Weekly

“I can’t remember the last time I saw a show that got me so excited I thought I might lose my marbles” — Colin Thomas, colinthomas.ca

“If you need a really good laugh and you’re okay with dark, grisly, bloody, grotesque, rude and crude – all wrapped up in the French clowning style called bouffon – you will love Titus Bouffonius as much as I did” — Jo Ledingham, Joledingham.ca

“This show is smart. The heady mix of bouffon revelry and Shakespearean trauma is fuel for an edgy comedy, and playwright Colleen Murphy has dug deep into both worlds to concoct an experiential feast” — Chelsey Stuyt, Vancouver Presents

“The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius at first presents itself as a chaotic project by confused misfits, but in reality it is an intelligent (if not eloquent) commentary on the Shakespearean classic and the complexities of the world which we navigate” — Ljudmila Petrovic, SAD MAG

“The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius might give you a lot to talk about the next day…we were all pretty much speechless” — Tiva Quinn, iliveineastvan.com

Click here for more details about the show

Photo by Wendi Wirawan; design by Kristen Johnson

We’re thrilled to announce that Indian Arm — the first play we commissioned as part of our adaptation program — has been awarded the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama.

Hiro Kanagawa, playwright

The play resonated with the audiences who saw our premiere production of Indian Arm in 2015. And it clearly resonated with the GG peer assessment committee, as well.

The committee praised Indian Arm as “a timely and evocative manifestation of the characters’ struggle with their relationship to the land. Hiro Kanagawa masterfully navigates the tension between Indigenous and settler identities as they work to figure out how we can live together. Mythic. Heart-breaking. Poetic.”

To read more about the GG winners, click here.

Rumble Theatre’s Board of Directors has announced that Artistic Director Stephen Drover will be vacating his role to join the Arts Club Theatre Company as its new Associate Artistic Director. Effective May 28, 2018, Drover will work part-time at both Rumble and the Arts Club. His final day at Rumble will be August 31, 2018, following the completion of Rumble’s Tremors festival.

Stephen Drover. Photo: Emily Cooper.

Drover joined Rumble in January 2012 and spearheaded many exciting initiatives during his tenure. He established Rumble’s adaptation program with an eye on creating contemporary Canadian plays based on classical texts. That program has seen great success in its short history, highlighted by Hiro Kanagawa’s Indian Arm winning the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award for Drama. He also formalized Rumble’s mentorship program, creating the popular Living Room series—a casual community-building event that joins emerging and professional artists in conversations about theatre—and refocusing Tremors, Rumble’s festival of emerging talent, as a training ground for individual artists.

“My six years with Rumble have been an array of milestones and I am immeasurably proud of the work we’ve done,” says Drover. “During my time here we developed a robust program for the mentorship of emerging artists, commissioned remarkable new adaptations, and produced some really fantastic shows. I’ll miss working with this wonderful staff in the best artist-run building in Vancouver. And I can’t wait to see what’s next for the company.”

“Stephen has steered Rumble through a fantastically productive period for Rumble, shepherding successes like Indian Arm, and The Society for the Destitute Presents Titus Bouffonius, reimagining and reinvigorating our Tremors festival, and building our community through our mentorship programs,” says Board President Mat Brechtel. “While we are very sad to see him go, we’ll look forward to continuing to enjoy his positive influence at an only slightly greater distance.”

Rumble Theatre’s Board of Directors will announce plans for a recruitment process this summer.

The press release is available to download here: Rumble Theatre announcement – Stephen Drover

Our 2018-19 season will kick off with a hot new edition of Tremors, which is happening this August in Vancouver. We’re about ready to announce the details of our entire upcoming season (stay tuned!), but we couldn’t wait to get started on assembling our Tremors creative teams. So if you’re an emerging theatre artist who is hungry for an opportunity to be mentored and make cool theatre, we want to hear from you.

Currently we have two calls out for Tremors 2018: One for emerging actors, and one for emerging designers, stage managers, technical directors, and producers.

Actors: Click HERE for the application details. Your deadline to submit is Monday, May 7, 2018

Designers, Producers, SMs, and TDs: Click HERE for the application details. Your deadline to submit is Monday, May 14, 2018.

Rumble Theatre invites submissions from emerging theatre artists in the areas of design, stage management, technical direction, and production who are interested in a theatre mentorship opportunity to apply for Tremors, our festival of emerging talent. Tremors will take place from August 16 – 25, 2018 at the Italian Cultural Centre in Vancouver. The following opportunities are available:

• Set and Props Designers
• Costume Designers
• Lighting Designers
• Sound Designers
• Projection Designers
• Stage Managers
• Technical Directors
• Producers

About Tremors
Tremors is a vehicle for emerging artists to build networks, receive professional mentorship, develop their craft, and work on exciting plays. It will feature a company of emerging directors, stage managers, designers, producers, technicians, and actors working under the guidance of professional mentors to produce three contemporary Canadian plays. Rumble provides mentorship from professional theatre practitioners, rehearsal space, production budget, publicity and marketing, production management, performance venue, and a small honorarium to all participants.

Emerging Artists: Eligibility
Rumble defines an “emerging artist” as a theatre practitioner (actor, designer, stage manager, technician, director) who is within five years of their professional debut. The ideal emerging artist has completed formalized training, is not yet a full member of a professional artists’ association (e.g. CAEA) and intends on making their living in the theatre. Alternatively defined as an artist who self-identifies as “young-in-craft”. For the purpose of this application, designers, stage managers, technical directors, and producers must be able to demonstrate past work. This can include projects undertaken as a part of a training program.

Submission Procedure
Applicants are asked to submit, via email, a CV and a cover letter outlining why they are interested in taking part in Tremors. Please include a brief statement of availability (including potential scheduling conflicts) in your cover letter.

We strongly encourage submissions from artists who self-identify as members of under-represented communities. We hope to create artistic teams that represent the diversity of Vancouver.

Part-time rehearsals will begin in June 2018 (based on the availability of the teams). Other important dates to note: Tech days – Aug 13 – 16. Festival run – August 16 – 25. Strike – Aug 26. Ample availability is an asset.

Submissions should be sent to jhood@rumble.org with the subject heading “Tremors Submission” with the role you are applying for clearly indicated (e.g. Costume Designer). If you are applying for multiple roles, please indicate all of them.

The deadline for submissions is May 14, 2018.

 We thank all who apply; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.