Recruitment pack Trustee

Thanks for your interest in joining Improbable’s Board of Trustees. We’re looking for people from a variety of backgrounds and with different skills, experiences and stories to join us and help to influence, develop and support our work. This pack contains some more information and who we are, what we do and what being a Trustee involves. You might also want to read our “unofficial” job description (http://bit.ly/improbable-trustee) or to get in touch with us on ben@improbable.co.uk or 020 7240 4556.

CONTENTS OF THIS PACK:

• About Improbable • Purpose of the role of Trustee • Terms & conditions • How to apply and contact us

ABOUT IMPROBABLE

Led by Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson, Improbable is a theatre company that defies categorisation. We create work on every scale from remarkable productions in the great opera houses to tiny improvisation gigs in the tiniest venues; we are at the forefront of arts activism through Open Space, and create groundbreaking participation work; we help to hold the history of improvisation, and to shape and secure its future through the international institute of improvisation, the iii.

At the heart of our work is the practice and philosophy of improvisation, and all our work draws on improvisatory processes such as Open Space and Worldwork. This is true even for the large-scale opera and music theatre pieces that form the bulk of Improbable’s upcoming programme. We are a company that follows our intuition.

We think that society needs a cultural shift that puts creativity at the heart of everyday life. In an era of division and uncertainty we create space for dreaming. In the world we imagine, the arts are not confined to the spiritual or emotional; they are central to development and decision making in social, organisational, legislative, economic and political spheres.

There are four strands to our work:

1. Productions, from studio shows to outdoor spectacles, new operas to classic texts, touring the UK and internationally – all celebrating the vitality of theatre and communicating the power of improvisation. In the last couple of years we’ve worked on the small scale (eg BambinO, an opera for babies), medium scale (eg Lost Without Words, an improvised piece with actors in their 70s and 80s) and large scale (eg Philip Glass’ Akhnaten at the ENO in London and Metropolitan Opera New York), across theatre and opera, at home and abroad.

2. Workshops, using improvisation to effect social change by engaging with communities and individuals, and to research new ideas and models of collaboration.

3. Dialogue, including Open Space events such as Devoted and Disgruntled and Worldwork events such as Cooking Chaos - gatherings that bring people together in deep democracy to work on urgent issues within the sector and beyond it.

4. The International Institute of Improvisation (the iii), a hub that connects Improbable’s work with global improvisational practice. It currently takes the form of an annual three-week summer Academy.

Phelim McDermott and Lee Simpson have been developing and sharing their improvisational practice for over thirty years (and since 1996 with Improbable). Their journey began by performing improv onstage and devising shows; developed further as they found ways to bring improvisation into other theatre forms such as text-based plays and opera; and then expanded beyond performance to bring the philosophies and practice of improvisation to community and societal

issues. The breadth of Improbable’s knowledge of improvisation and its application is unrivalled and means we occupy a vital space in the landscape of international theatre.

Improbable was founded in 1996 as a limited liability partnership; became a charity in 2014; and is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England 2018-22. We have a company of nine:

Olivia Coxhead – Producer (part-time) Anna Crisp – Development Officer (part-time) Sarah Grange – Research & Open Space Associate (part-time) Matilda Leyser – Associate Director (part-time) Phelim McDermott – Artistic Director and joint CEO Ben Qasim Monks – Executive Director Lee Simpson – Artistic Director, Director of Improvisation and joint CEO Nick Sweeting – Senior Producer (part-time; leaving post in Spring 2020) Jeremy Wong – Operations & Finance Officer

Our trustees are:

Clair Chamberlain (interim chair) – Founder & Managing Director, The Corner Shop Phil Clarke – Managing Director, Various Artists Ltd Stephen Daldry CBE – Director and Producer Dr David G Knott – Director, McKinsey & Company Pauline Mayers – writer, theatre-maker and choreographer Simon Minty – disability and diversity consultant Elspeth Murray – artist and facilitator Chris Sandhu – Director in Banking & Capital Markets, Deloitte Griselda Yorke – Lead Producer, Royal Shakespeare Company

From 2012 until 2019 Improbable was chaired by Ruth Mackenzie CBE. Ruth left Improbable earlier this year to take up the role of Chair of Arts Council England in London.

You can find out more about our work at www.improbable.co.uk and www.devotedanddisgruntled.com.

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE OF TRUSTEE

We are looking to appoint new people to our Board of Trustees. We actively encourage people from a variety of backgrounds with different skills, experiences and stories to join us and influence and develop our working practice. All applications will be assessed on merit. Any candidate who self-identifies as D/deaf, disabled or neurodivergent, as a person of colour, and/or as genderqueer, and who meets the person specification, is guaranteed an interview, as these areas are under-represented among our current trustees.

We are particularly interested in appointing people who could support Improbable in any of these areas:

• Artistic and creative support to the company • Legal expertise (especially in an arts setting, e.g. forming commercial agreements and

establishing subsidiary vehicles) • Developing our corporate offer (particularly Improbable for Business, and facilitating events

for external organisations) • Fundraising from larger Trusts & Foundations and/or high net worth individuals

We are fully committed to diversity and inclusion and want to practice what we preach. If there are some elements of being a trustee that you’re not sure you meet, please apply anyway or get in touch to have a conversation. We're interested in the whole person and hope we help new trustees to develop skills on the job.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Acting as a Trustee is a voluntary, unpaid position. The role also carries some legal responsibilities. You can read more about these on the government’s website at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/charity-trustee-whats-involved

All Improbable Trustees are asked to commit to the following:

• To attend four Board meetings a year, usually in London, for a minimum term of three years. We are able to cover reasonable travel expenses for trustees who would otherwise be unable to attend meetings, and/or to make arrangements for trustees to Skype into meetings.

• To attend Improbable performances and events when possible • To help and tend at fundraising activities when required and when possible • To provide advice and guidance to staff as reasonably required

In addition, Trustees are expected to:

• Commit to the mission and values of Improbable • Understand and accept the legal duties, responsibilities and liabilities of being a Trustee • Help to make sure that Improbable is well governed and complies with its constitutional

and charitable objectives • Take joint responsibility for the charity’s effective and responsible fundraising • Act as ambassadors for Improbable and, where possible, open doors and help the

charity to grow its networks and contacts • Actively contribute to Improbable’s plans and strategic direction • Contribute ideas and contacts in developing our network of partners, supporters and

donors

If you are unfamiliar with being a Trustee we would be happy to talk to you about it. You can also read our unofficial job advert: http://bit.ly/improbable-trustee.

HOW TO APPLY

If you would like an informal conversation about becoming a Trustee or have any questions, please feel free to contact executive director Ben Qasim Monks in the first instance. Ben is on ben@improbable.co.uk and 020 7240 4556.

If you are interested in becoming a trustee, please send us the following:

1. A letter outlining your interest in becoming a trustee. This should be no more than two sides of A4.

2. Your CV or a link to an online biography / resume. 3. A completed, anonymous copy of the equal opportunities monitoring form. This can be

downloaded from our website and should be sent separately to your letter and CV.

If you'd rather apply in a different way, for example by sending an audio or video application, feel free to do so. Please make sure that it's good enough quality for us to listen/see and that it's no longer than 10 minutes.

Applications should be sent by email to office@improbable.co.uk or by post to Improbable, PopHub Leicester Square, 41 Whitcomb Street, London WC2H 7DT, marked “TRUSTEE APPLICATION.”

The deadline for applications is 1st April 2020.

We will hold informal interviews with shortlisted applicants after the deadline. There will be an opportunity to shadow an Improbable board meeting as part of the process.

If you have any questions, please contact our Executive Director Ben Qasim Monks on ben@improbable.co.uk or 020 7240 4556.

Thank you in advance for considering an application, and we look forward to hearing from you.