A Red Orchid Theatre is looking for new people to join our board! As a member of The Board of Directors, you will support the work of A Red Orchid Theatre (AROT) and provide mission-based leadership and strategic governance. While day-to-day operations are led by AROT’s Artistic and Managing Directors, the Board-Director relationship is a partnership, and the appropriate involvement of the Board is both critical and expected. Specific Board Member responsibilities include:
Leadership, governance and oversight
Serving as a trusted advisor to the Director as s/he develops and implements A Red Orchid’s strategic plan
Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by AROT for evaluating its impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness using those metrics; reviewing agenda and supporting materials prior to board and committee meetings
Approving A Red Orchid’s annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities
Contributing to an annual performance evaluation of the Artistic Director
Assisting the Artistic Director and board chair in identifying and recruiting other Board Members
Partnering with the Artistic Director and other board members to ensure that board resolutions are carried out
Serving on committees or task forces and taking on special assignments
Representing AROT to stakeholders; acting as an ambassador for the organization
Ensuring A Red Orchid’s commitment to a diverse board and staff that reflects our world
Fundraising
A Red Orchid Board Members will consider AROT a philanthropic priority and make annual gifts that reflect that priority. So that A Red Orchid can credibly solicit contributions from foundations, organizations, and individuals, AROT expects to have 100 percent of Board Members make an annual contribution that is commensurate with their capacity.
Qualifications
This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who is passionate about A Red Orchid’s mission and who has a track record of board leadership. Selected Board Members will have achieved leadership stature in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector. His/her accomplishments will allow him/her to attract other well-qualified high-performing Board Members.
Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:
Extensive professional experience with significant executive leadership accomplishments in business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector
A commitment to and understanding of AROT’s patrons and community, preferably based on experience
Savvy diplomatic skills and a natural affinity for cultivating relationships and persuading, convening, facilitating, and building consensus among diverse individuals
Personal qualities of integrity and credibility, as well as a personal commitment to social compassion and aesthetic rigor
Service on A Red Orchid’s Board of Directors is without remuneration, except for administrative support costs in relation to Board Members’ duties.
A Red Orchid Theatre is an ensemble of artists dedicated to the proliferation of live theatre in the modern world. We believe that theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit and approach our work with a palpable sense of social compassion, aesthetic rigor, and honesty. By presenting new plays from all over the world and by reviving insightful works from the past that bear new relevance today, we aim to seek out and build new audiences for the modern stage.
Description
Located in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood, A Red Orchid Theatre’s intimate 70-seat venue has entertained patrons for more than 25 years. Founded in 1993 by actors Lawrence Grimm, Michael Shannon and Guy Van Swearingen, the ensemble-based theatre has staged 70+ productions, including 16 world, 9 U.S., and 30 Chicago premieres, respectively. And our productions and performers are regularly nominated for critical awards-the theatre has received 47 Joseph Jefferson Equity nominations and 14 JEFF awards.
As one of Chicago’s leading storefront theatre companies, the stories told on A Red Orchid’s stage have come to exemplify the unique character of Chicago theatre. We are known for our fearless approach to performance and design in the service of intimate stories. Likewise, our ensemble continues to work at the forefront of live theatre, bravely pushing boundaries in order to move the medium forward.
