Find out how you can get involved with the Ottawa Fringe Festival!
On this page you will find current employment, volunteer and artist opportunities!
The Ottawa Fringe Festival “Ottawa Fringe” is hiring for the position of Theatre Manager.
This role reports to the Executive and Artistic Director and is responsible for the management of
services for the Fringe festival and undercurrents festival. The Theatre Manager is also expected to maintain a high standard of excellence on all Arts Court Theatre services.
Date Posted: August 5, 2025
Application Deadline: September 1, 2025
Start Date: As soon as possible
Duration: This is a permanent, full–time position.
Hours: 37.5 hours/week, with the ability to work overtime during festivals and some events.
Salary: $52,000.00 per annum.
Who We Are:
The Ottawa Fringe is an organization committed to empowering audiences, and encouraging artists to take risks, pursue their visions, and develop their skills. The organization manages the Arts Court theatre and arts spaces and produces two festivals, the Ottawa Fringe Festival and undercurrents. The Ottawa Fringe Festival is an non–curated, annual, Ottawa–based summer festival that provides emerging and established artists an opportunity to produce their work. The winter festival, undercurrents, is a bilingual curated festival that showcases the best original, contemporary theatre created by local, national, and international artists.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Manage Arts Court Theatre production services
• Maintain Arts Court Theatre spaces, including coordinating equipment rentals and
acquisitions when needed
• Manage client relations through contract, rental agreements, staffing requirements, and
vendors
• Liaise with rental clients and festival artists to coordinate technical and front of house
requirements
• Prepare charges for rental clients, invoices and reports as required
• Monitor the rental program to ensure it meets the needs of organizational plans
• Work closely with Technical Director to support rental client and festival technical needs
• Hire technical and front of house staff
• Train front of house staff
• Setup ticketing services for clients
logistical and front of house aspects of the Ottawa Fringe and undercurrents festivals, and
other events as required
• Uphold Arts Court Theatre’s commitment to health and safety standards throughout all rental
spaces
• Troubleshoot issues with rental clients, including responding to written complaints
• Generate plans, schedules, and plots as needed
• Support reporting on rental program and Purchase of Service agreement
The Theatre Manager will work closely with the Executive and Artistic Director to determine
additional responsibilities and/or update the scope of duties.
QUALIFICATIONS:
▪ Share and actively uphold the values of the Ottawa Fringe, including support for and
celebration of diversity, equity, and inclusion
▪ Commit to upholding a safe and inclusive space for co–workers, artists, and patrons, including
taking actions to ensure an environment free of harassment, racism, sexism, homophobia, and
transphobia
• 3–5 years production management experience in a festival or multi–site event capacity
• Technical knowledge of theatre and live performance
• Experience managing a team
• Experience managing a rental program and/or ticketing & client services
• Exceptional communication skills, including building and maintaining relationships with a
diverse range of stakeholders, clients, and audiences
• Exceptional organization and time–management skills
• Ability to adapt quickly to new and changing deadlines, circumstances, and challenges
ASSETS
• Ability to use CAD to create/edit venue drawings
• Health and safety training with specific reference to theatre/events
• First aid–certification
• Knowledge of Fringe Festivals
• Bilingualism: written and spoken communication in French and English.
HOW TO APPLY:
Here at Ottawa Fringe, we’re actively encouraging and prioritizing applications from equity–
deserving groups. Equity–deserving groups can include those who identify as Indigenous, Black,
People of Colour, Trans, Non–binary, Queer, Disabled, and intersections of these identities. We are committed to providing staff with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment and fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace.
Theatre Manager position by September 1, 2025. Only candidates selected for an interview process will be contacted.
At the Fringe, volunteers are essential! Quite simply, the festival wouldn’t exist without them! Every year, we bring together a dynamic team to bring this great celebration of independent theater to life.
As a volunteer, you’ll dive right into the heart of the festival, discover what goes on behind the scenes and support passionate artists. And as an added bonus, you’ll get to see shows for free and meet inspiring people!
Looking for a unique experience? Join the team and be part of the Fringe adventure!
What the Fringe has to offer:
- 1 shift = 1 free ticket
- Exclusive shows for our volunteers
- Make a difference and join the movement
undercurrents is Ottawa’s festival of contemporary theatre taking place every February. We seek submissions from the following artists:
- French, English or bilingual Ottawa based stage-ready productions
- French, English or bilingual National stage-ready productions
- French, English or bilingual works in progress suitable to staged readings or workshop presentations
The festival will consider applications from established and emerging artists who are working on new plays and performance pieces, as well as from those touring previously produced original work.
We encourage submissions from under-represented artists who identify with the organization’s Priority Groups: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of colour) Artists, Deaf Artists and Disabled+ Identified Artists, 2SLGBTQ+ Artists.
In addition to the online form, we ask all artists to submit:
- A proposal describing the project, its history, and the confirmed participating artists
- Biographies/CVs of lead artists or creators
- A completed script or script sample
- Additional support material (optional): tech specs*, reviews, photos, or letters of support
*If you have them, we ask for tech specs so we can make sure our theatre can accommodate your show. The more detail you can give us, the better, but ideally they would include: particulars of your set, information about lights and sound, video or projection components, etc… But don’t stress out about tech specs! We never rule out a show based on this information, and will reach out if we have questions.
If the form is not accessible for you, we will also accept alternative formats. Alternative applications could be a video (English, French or ASL) or an audio file. Please limit videos or audio files to no more than 10 minutes long, and include all the information requested in the application form. You may then submit your application by email to director@ottawafringe.com.
Have questions before submitting? Want to learn more about undercurrents? Scroll down for more info!
Or schedule a call / book a meeting with Ottawa Fringe Executive and Artistic Director, Alain Richer (director@ottawafringe.com).
We’re opening submissions for both the 2026 and 2027 festivals. If your show is ready for the stage or currently touring, submit for 2026. If your show needs more development time but would benefit from early programming (perhaps helping you secure further funding), apply for 2027.
Deadline for 2026 consideration is April 18.
Are you a theatre collective, company or individual looking for a unique chance to connect and collaborate? The Ottawa Fringe Festival invites you to join us in our offices for an exciting co-working opportunity! Every Thursday from 10am – 4pm we’re opening up our offices to you!
What’s in it for you?
- Connect with Our Team: Spend time working alongside our dedicated festival team in the heart of Downtown. This is a fantastic chance to network and share ideas in our historically artistic building.
- Community Outreach: Our goal is to engage with our local community and enhance and support projects by providing space. Your presence will help foster our connection and give us a better look into your needs.
- Creative Collaboration: Work in an inspiring environment at no charge where creativity thrives. Share your projects, get feedback, and explore potential collaborations with us. Not to mention free coffee.
How to Get Involved:
We’re eager to welcome theatre companies, collectives or individuals who are passionate about the arts and interested in building strong community ties. If this sounds like a fit for you, reach out to us to learn more about this opportunity and how you can be a part of it.
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