The Co-Producers are accepting applications from GRADUATE and UNDERGRADUATE students for the following position on the 2011 New Works Festival Executive Committee:
TITLE: PUBLIC RELATIONS/MARKETING COMMITTEE CO-CHAIRS (2 positions available)
COMPENSATION: Academic credit negotiable
DATES OF INVOLVEMENT: February 22, 2010—April 29, 2011
REPORTS TO: Cassie Gholston, Assistant Chair for External Relations
APPLICATION OPENING DATE: December 3, 2009
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Wednesday, January 27, 2010 by NOON
Applications may be dropped off in the Theatre &Dance Main Office, (WIN 1.142) or submitted via e-mail to New Works Festival Transition Coordinator Wendy Bable.
The Public Relations/Marketing Committee Co-Chairs will:
- Create a long-range Public Relations plan and schedule, aligned with departmental deadlines
- Work with graphic artists and layout designers to prepare physical collateral and graphic representations (posters, flyers, Festival Guide, Festival-at-a-Glance, outdoor dates banner, street marquee, etc.)
- Collaborate with the College of Fine Arts to raise visibility of the Festival at COFA events
- Create and maintain the Festival Style Guide (similar to UT’s “Style Guide”)
- Write copy for and release all media advisories, press releases, calendar listings, and materials for the media kit released to local and national news outlets
- Work slosely with Digital Communication Specialist, write copy for all web postings and social networking sites
- Oversee all individual project public relations, ensuring their alignment to the spirit and intent of the Festival
- Secure press and archival photography of every Festival event (including those before the week of the Festival,) submit digital archives to Producers, as well as a physical archive of all Festival collateral materials
- Create/solicit/synthesize content for the Festival-at-a-Glance and Festival Guide
- Work closely with the Events Chair to publicize all NWF special events including: Research &Development Grant Extravaganza, Festival Roster Announcement, NWF Kick-Off, and major Festival Week events
- Participate in reviewing and selecting applications for the 2011 Festival
- Maintain the PR/Marketing Committee archive binder, and submit updated 2011 binder upon completion of Festival involvement
- Attend weekly ExCom meetings and Committee-at-Large meetings
Required Job-Specific Skills
- Familiarity with graphic design/ print layout, print shop requirements, bidding out jobs, working with vendors
- Strong writing ability to prepare copy for all web content, press releases, physical collateral
- Ability to develop and work within a budget
- Previous public relations/marketing/advertising experience
Description of the Festival Executive Commitee
The Executive Committee (ExCom) is comprised of currently enrolled graduate and undergraduate students and serves as the critical infrastructure of the New Works Festival (NWF). Members of the ExCom receive valuable training and practical experience as theatre-makers, direct access to guest artists and special events, and play a substantial role in determining the content and scope of the Festival. They are the Festival’s most prominent ambassadors to the Festival participants and the public-at-large. Each member of the ExCom should possess the following qualities:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, savvy about “tone” and appropriateness of all communications
- Integrity and strong sense of ethics (often responsible for confidential information)
- Strong leadership skills with both peers and faculty/staff, able to delegate tasks and supervise committees
- Able to work independently, proactively, and with a positive attitude
- Excellent time management skills, including task prioritization and setting and meeting deadlines
Application Timeline
Selected candidates will be interviewed February 8-12, 2010. The Co-Producers plan to make final hiring decisions by February 19, 2010
Critical Dates
- Tuesday, March 9, 2010 Research &Development Grant Extravaganza
- Wednesday, March 31, 2010 Research &Development Grants Due
- Wednesday, April 7, 2010 Research &Development Grant Awards Announced
- Friday, September 17, 2010 NWF Kick Off Event
- Monday, October 18, 2010 Festival Applications Due
- Friday, November 5, 2010 NWF 2011 Roster Announced
- Friday, March 4, 2011 Festival-at-a-Glance Released
- Monday, March 28, 2011 Opening Ceremony, Festival Day 1
- Tuesday, March 29, 2011 Festival Day 2
- Wednesday, March 30, 2011 Festival Day 3
- Thursday, March 31, 2011 Festival Day 4
- Friday, April 1, 2011 Festival Day 5
- Saturday, April 2, 2011 Festival Day 6, Closing Ceremony, Strike
About The New Works Festival
The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival is a celebration of new work created by UT students that culminates in a week-long showcase every other April held throughout campus. It is not just an event, but a celebration of a continuously ongoing process-the creation of new work.
Inaugurated in 2001 as a new play festival, The University Co-op Presents the Cohen New Works Festival was created and named in honor of David Mark Cohen, former head of playwriting within The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance. Cohen was killed in a car crash on December 23, 1997, but during his life, he was an adamant supporter of new work. Today, The New Works Festival has evolved to include not just plays, but all mediums of student-generated new work. It is the largest festival of its kind, being run and organized entirely by a committee of graduate and undergraduate students, with the support of faculty co-producers. 2009 will mark the fifth New Works Festival in 10 years.
Our Mission
The University Co-op presents the Cohen New Works Festival is a celebration of new work created by UT students that culminates in a week-long showcase every other April held throughout campus. It exists as an incubator for innovative and original forms of theatre, dance, music, film, design, visual art and architecture. It provides a nurturing environment and practical resources for the creation, development, production and discussion of new and interdisciplinary work by students, faculty, guest artists and scholars who come together in the spirit of collaboration and critical inquiry.
Our Vision
Embraced and invigorated by the energy of a university setting, the Festival provides a safe place for artists to take risks, a bridge between potential and the profession, and a forum for a national conversation on the value and future of the arts in society.
Three Core Values
The following values support our mission and our overall vision. They inform our practice and guide all aspects of decision-making and implementation.
Empowerment and Responsibility
Our goal is to create an environment in which each individual is empowered to take responsibility for his or her own artistic, entrepreneurial and intellectual development with the support of mentors who care.
Access
Our goal is to provide access to the production resources and guidance necessary to realize individual creative visions and to encourage collaborative connections with guest artists and scholars on a national level.
Integration
Our goal is that the Festival will serve as a positive and productive force within the cultural ecosystem of the Department of Theatre and Dance, the College of Fine Arts, the University of Texas and ultimately within the arts themselves to further the development of new works and new artists.