Posted by Paprika Theatre Festival
Paprika Festival is hiring a Production Manager!
Application Deadline: Sunday, July 19, 2026 at 11:59pm Eastern Time
Contract Dates: August 4, 2026 – June 30th, 2027
Position: Production Manager
Fee: $10,360 (approximately $28/hour for 320 hours of work and 50 hours of training/mentorship)
Region: Downtown Toronto, ON (Hybrid online and in-person work)
Term: Contract
WHAT THE PAPRIKA PRODUCTION MANAGER DOES:
This annual contract is an opportunity to lead the production planning of a week-long festival of live performances, created and performed by young and emerging artists. The Production Manager also provides mentorship and support for Paprika artists as they bring their projects to life, facilitating a Technical Theatre Workshop, creating the festival tech schedule, creating the festival schedule in collaboration with the Artistic Producer, working with our venue partner, assisting festival artists in hiring designers and stage managers, and providing resources for design and production.
This is an ideal role for an emerging arts worker, as it will include 50 hours of paid mentorship time with the outgoing Paprika Production Manager and members of Means of Production. We welcome learning on the job, and encourage applicants with no production management experience to apply for this role. If you are a stage manager, designer, arts administrator, director, producer, or technician interested in a career in Production Management, this opportunity is also for you!
HOW THE PAPRIKA PRODUCTION MANAGER WORKS:
The Production Manager will begin their contract in August 2026 in order to begin mentorship, training, and planning, but hours will be very minimal until programs begin in January 2027. This is a part time role, and it is common for Paprika staff to have other roles and commitments outside of their work with Paprika. The only time that the Production Manager will be required to work full time (40 hours per week) is during the Tech and Festival weeks.
The Paprika team works mostly online throughout the season, although in-person attendance is required at Training Days (once or twice a month between January-May), Tech and Festival, and some other staff meetings and socials as requested.
Tech and Festival week will be May 3 – 16, 2027 at the Native Earth Performing Arts’ Aki Studio in Artscape Daniels Spectrum in Regent Park (585 Dundas St E). The Aki Studio Booth is not accessible to mobility devices.
WHO WE’RE LOOKING FOR:
- An emerging arts worker with an interest in the technical and production aspects of live performance.
- Prior Production Manager experience is not required, but some relevant experience in management, administration, or theatre tech is preferred.
- Someone with a passion for supporting emerging artists, new works, and live performance.
- Someone with a demonstrated dedication to accessibility and inclusion in your artistic practices and a passion to continuing to grow in these areas.
- Someone with an interest in working with young people of all abilities from all cultural and economic backgrounds.
- There is no age limit to apply, however, we will be prioritizing applicants who identify as “emerging” and/or who are under the age of 35.
- Paprika prioritizes, celebrates, and welcomes applications from folks from equity-seeking groups — including those who identify as Indigenous, Black, People of Colour, Trans, Non-binary, Queer, Fat, Disabled, Mad, Neurodivergent, low income, and intersections of those identities.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead production planning of the 26th Annual Paprika Festival, including: scheduling of tech and festival week, management of technician hours/payment calculation, facilitation of all artist tech rehearsals and communication with artists leading up to the festival.
- Collaborate with Native Earth Performing Arts in-house Technician and Native Earth Production and Facilities manager to ensure their needs are met, Paprika abides by all venue regulations and protocols, and that the spaces are set-up and returned to neutral.
- Act as Production Stage Manager as needed during the festival and tech weeks.
- Participate in the hiring process for the Backstage Coordinator Position.
- Act as the lead contact and mentor for Festival artists regarding production needs. This includes but is not limited to: organizing and sharing resources for set, props, lighting, costume and sound design, assisting artists in building their Qlab bundles, advising artists on how to use and schedule their tech rehearsals, helping to connect artists with stage managers and/or designers if needed, and mentoring them in professional conduct in a festival setting.
- Collaborate on the planning of and lead execution of a Technical Theatre Workshop (date TBD) in consultation with the Artistic Producer, Festival Lighting Designer and Design Lab Facilitator (as applicable).
- Lead the planning of and execution of a Festival Production Meeting for all artists (date TBD) in consultation with the Artistic Producer.
- Participate in all 7 Training Days and in collaboration with the Artistic Producer. Prepare and facilitate production-related activities and discussions with artists as needed.
- Ensure all artists and staff understand the safety protocols of the festival venue.
- Full in-person presence and participation in tech week (May 3 – 9, 2027) and festival week (May 11 – 16, 2027).
ABOUT THE PAPRIKA FESTIVAL:
For the past 25 years Paprika Festival has been a year-round youth-led performing arts organization celebrating the work of young and emerging artists. All of the programs include a strong focus on mentorship and training, and are guided by the four core values of accessibility, artistic development, community and youth leadership. Paprika’s educational programs include Creators Unit, Playwriting Unit, Directors Lab, Design Lab, Indigenous Arts Program and Creative Producers. The units rotate bi-annually, meaning between 3-4 programs are run each season. These programs run between January and May, culminating in the annual Festival. For more information, please visit our website, www.paprikafestival.com.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please send us the following:
- Resumé
- Cover letter (1 page max) or short video (under 3 minutes) detailing why you are interested in the position and what you would bring to the role
- Optional: Support material (1 page max) which could include:
- Example document showcasing your ability to organize and schedule for a production environment (a previous production schedule, production budget, crew costing, show report, calendar, etc.)
- Examples from work in different roles or school projects (design, communications, administration)
- A letter of support from someone you worked with in the past
Email your application to Julia Dickson, General Manager, via julia@paprikafestival.com with the subject line: “Production Manager – [YOUR NAME].”
Applications are due by 11:59PM Eastern Time on Sunday, July 19, 2026.
ACCOMMODATION & ACCESS:
We will offer the following access measures for this application/interview process:
- All interviewees will be paid $50 per interview attended
- Interviews will take place over Zoom and will have auto-generated captions available
- Interview questions will be sent in advance
- Prior to applying, you may book a short 30-minute meeting with Amanda to discuss this role and receive support on your application
- We can provide a short extension for the application deadline upon request
If you have additional access needs, please do not hesitate to reach out to Julia (julia@paprikafestival.com) and we will do our best to accommodate.
Paprika is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. Paprika is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Paprika will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, colour, religion or belief, sexuality, gender expression, family or parental status or any other legally protected grounds. Paprika accepts applicants of all ages.