Executive Director

Executive Director

The Board of Directors of Oddfellows Playhouse seeks a dynamic and compassionate Executive Director to lead the organization with strategic vision. Reporting directly to the Board, the Executive Director serves as Chief Executive Officer, holding overall responsibility for the Playhouse’s staff, operations, and execution of its mission. We are dedicated to providing access to cutting‑edge performing arts experience to young people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and seek a leader who will champion this cause.

The Executive Director is expected to develop a deep command of our community, programs, and culture to effectively guide the organization’s future. The ideal candidate combines a demonstrated passion for theater with the executive skills to successfully manage people, grants, resources, fund‑raising, and budgets. The Board welcomes applicants who have experience in youth theater production and/or directing. While the position is primarily focused on organizational leadership and administration, there may be opportunities to direct or support productions based on experience and interest, in conversation with the Board and staff.

Any such involvement would be optional, collaborative, and aligned with organizational needs.

Oddfellows Playhouse, Inc. is a community arts organization founded in 1975 by Wesleyan University students and dedicated to empowering young people in Middletown, Connecticut, and the surrounding region. We currently serve over 1,500 young people annually through a variety of classes, productions, and immersive opportunities spanning theater, circus, dance, and visual arts. We are a small non‑profit with 4 full‑time staff (including the Executive Director) and annual revenue of approximately $700,000.

Our activities include a year‑round calendar of productions, after‑school classes, and signature programs such as the celebrated Children’s Circus of Middletown (a five‑week summer circus camp now in its 38th year). Key youth development and artistic ensembles include the Junior Repertory Company, Teen Repertory Company, Neighborhood‑based Troupes, Oddbridge After‑School program, and Circophony Teen Circus.

Throughout its history, Oddfellows Playhouse has operated on the foundational belief that access to high‑quality arts experiences is a fundamental right. Our commitment rests on a three‑part mission that intertwines artistic excellence with social action:

• Artistic Excellence:
  To provide high‑quality, cutting‑edge theater created by and for young people.
• Educational Growth:
  To promote the development of young people—fostering skills, knowledge, and self‑confidence—through the performing arts.
• Social Action & Equity:
  To promote the development of a truly multiracial, multicultural society by offering opportunities especially to underserved and at‑risk youth, including five ongoing, neighborhood‑based Troupes serving young people in public housing.

• Financial Management & Fundraising
• Government Relations:
  Cultivate and maintain critical relationships with state and local governments to secure public funding; manage compliance and reporting for all government contracts and grants.
• Development Strategy:
  Lead all revenue‑generating activities, including grant writing, individual donor cultivation, corporate sponsor ships, and annual fundraising campaigns.
• Budgeting:
  Develop and manage the annual operating budget, ensuring the organization operates within its financial means to maximize resources for programs.
• Strategic Leadership & Board Relations
• Vision & Planning:
  Collaborate with the Board of Directors to define the Playhouse’s strategic vision and long‑term goals.
• Reporting:
  Serve as the primary liaison to the Board, providing transparent updates on financial health, fundraising progress, and organizational strategy.
• Governance:
  Support the Board in governance and recruitment of new Board members to ensure a strong, active leadership body.
• Staff Leadership & Operations
• Team Leadership:
  Lead, mentor, and support a small dedicated team, fostering a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and accountability.
• Operational…