Associate Producer (September 2020)
The Painkiller Project is a monthly playwriting competition with a £150 prize for each winning play. Two plays are selected each month and released fortnightly as podcasts (available here). So far our plays have featured Noma Dumezweni, Toby Jones, Miriam Margolyes, Pearl Mackie and Jessica Barden.
Our aim is that the repetitive nature of the competition helps to make the project feel collaborative and cyclical - like theatre. We believe this project can become a crucial resource within the theatre industry, contributing as it does to the development and exposure of emerging playwrights. We want to keep the project in place until theatres in the UK fully reopen and beyond.
The initial prize was designed to encourage up-and-coming writers to develop and experiment with their work following the closure of theatres in the UK as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The prize is open to all, every month, and is completely anonymous at the stage of selection.
So far we have produced 7 podcast plays engaging with a wide variety of topics.
Role Details
Bitter Pill are looking for someone who could come on board as a part-time Associate Producer to work one day every two weeks.
The fee for this position will be £150/day.
Key Duties
1) To lead on audience development. Each podcast released as part of The Painkiller Project will require a different approach in order to ensure that it reaches the right audiences and communities.
2) To ensure that the monthly callout for submissions is accessible to those from underrepresented and underserved communities. The Painkiller Project receives submissions without the name included on the script. This has been done to guard against any conscious or unconscious bias during the reading process. This does, however, mean we have no policy in place for equality in outcome. We do, therefore, want to ensure that when it comes to equality of opportunity we are doing everything we can to reach playwrights from all backgrounds.
3) To generally increase audience numbers and develop the brand of the podcast. The podcast has peaked at #11 in the Podcast Charts for Performing Arts. We want to improve upon this and ensure that the playwrights plays receive as much exposure as possible.
We want to stress that while the ideal candidate will be expected to take the lead the above, it is also a strategic role and you will be working alongside us to help develop this project going forward.
The ideal candidate will have:
Essential
- Experience of working within theatre or arts organisations.
- An ability to recognise and identify the changing themes of each podcast episode, and where they are each most likely to flourish
- A detailed understanding of the current and quickly evolving arts landscape.
Desired
- Experience in audience development.
- A keen interest in new writing.
To apply
Please send your CV and a short expression of interest to max@bitterpilltheatre.com
If you have any questions please get in touch.