by Here’s the story: Wonderlust is an 8-year old organization with an ever-expanding network of relationships in communities that are essential to how we all live our lives but are often ignored or misunderstand. These relationships are essential to what Wonderlust does and why we exist.
One of the most difficult parts of good community- and relationship-building is the amount of time-consuming detail work that is required. We need help managing those relationships while we also continue to grow and learn.
We’re looking for a talented community builder to work as an assistant to the Artistic Directors (officially titled “Communications and Research Assistant”) who helps us maintain ties to multiple communities by:
- Scheduling many meetings with community members, professional artists, our internal ensemble and board, and more, as needed.
- Researching various aspects of communities we work in or new communities in an open-ended and curious way. Note that we don’t always know which people, or information, will be most essential to our artistic collaborations so we need someone who simply enjoys research, knowledge, and recording what they find, for its own sake.
- Maintaining databases of information with contacts, meeting notes, and other potentially-important information.
- Gathering information for and preparing our monthly newsletter for 2800+ subscribers.
- Writing outreach emails to additional individuals and groups
- Following-up with phone calls to important connections
- Using basic graphic design skills to make all our communications appealing and accessible to multiple types of readers.
- Supporting live events in various ways, as needed.
- Some social media skills are a plus, though not required. (We have an ambivalent relationship to social media, you should know.)
This is a lot of screen time. Much of the work can be done remotely but we also maintain an office/rehearsal space where you can work, often alongside at least one co-Artistic Director if desired. Expect biweekly check-in meetings as well as other meetings where your attendance would be encouraged.
This is an ideal opportunity for someone with communication skills, curiosity, and interest in learning in a hands-on way about community organizing, high quality arts production in a variety of media (live theater, graphic novels, outdoor events, video, podcasts, etc.), as well as communities that are essential but often ignored or misunderstood—like adoption, military veterans, state government, overachievers, and people affected by incarceration.
5-20 hours per week (average 10) at $15 an hour.
Required:
Basic graphic design—familiarity with Photoshop, Indesign, etc.
Great writing!
Curiosity about people combined with an ability to listen well and hear their needs
Attention to detail
Ability to manage own schedule (and the schedule of others) well
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Some of this job requires that you check-in on tasks every weekday—even if only for a few minutes.
We’d like to hire someone for at least 6-12 months–like an apprenticeship. After this period, you may want to move on to another place in your career, or we may find a larger role with more responsibility for you at Wonderlust. You may also like the job exactly as is. We’re happy to have that conversation at the appropriate times and help you find a fulfilling career.
Please send a cover letter and resume to info@wlproductions.org by Monday, June 27.
About Wonderlust Productions: Founded in 2014, Wonderlust Productions is a company of professional artists working to illuminate community stories through performance and multimedia creativity, mixing community members from across generations, ethnicities, and perspectives, alongside an ensemble of professional actors, designers, writers, and directors. Together, we create new art experiences based on high-quality dramatic storytelling craft; inspired by community experience; embracing the inherent conflict of opposing perspectives within a community; epic enough to encompass diversity and inspire transformative experience. Our mission is activate imaginations and illuminate community stories to build a more inclusive world. Our method is to listen, wonder, create, and repeat.
Communities we have worked closely with include military veterans, people affected by adoption, people who work behind the scenes in state government, overachievers, people in education, and people affected by Minnesota’s incarceration system.