Sales & Tour Manager

Company Overview

Carousel Players is one of Canada’s oldest and most respected professional theatre for young audience companies. More than 2.8 million children and families have seen one of Carousel's imaginative shows since we began creating theatre in 1972. We are a professional theatre company that specializes in making and teaching theatre for young people. Our core activities are producing two to four plays a year for school and public audiences; working with artists to create new plays for young audiences; and providing arts education to young people ages 4-14.

Carousel Players creates two or more touring theatre productions each year for audiences in elementary schools. These tours travel to school gyms and community venues in the Niagara, Hamilton, Halton, Wentworth, and Brant Regions. We frequently tour outside of Southern Ontario and brought shows to BC, Saskatchewan, and Northern Ontario in the past five years.

Carousel Players provides arts education programs throughout the year through our Theatre School, which offers artist-lead programs at five locations the Niagara Region. The Theatre School also works with elementary schools to provide After School Drama classes and the Playlinks workshop program at schools across the Region. All of Carousel Players’ arts education programs have curriculums of play-based learning that were developed with guidance from members of Brock University’s Teacher Education faculty.

Our productions have been nominated for Dora awards fourteen times, winning for Dinosaurs and All that Rubbish and for Patty’s Cake. Carousel actively engages in new play development; provides arts education programs in schools and through our Theatre School; and plays a vital role in the theatre community, both in the Niagara Region and across Canada.

Job Description

The Sales & Tour Manager works in partnership with the Production team, the Artistic Director, and the General Manager to support the touring of Carousel Players' productions. The Sales & Tour Manager is accountable for meeting show sales targets, communicating internal and external information surrounding touring and public events, and supporting the promotion of tours, workshops, and special events.

This position is a half-time, permanent seasonal contract under the direct supervision of the General Manager. The Sales & Tour Manager works with Artistic Director on artistic and production matters; and reports directly to the General Manager on all financial, scheduling, and health & safety matters.

The Sales & Tour Manager is responsible for

• The promotion, sales and scheduling of Carousel Players touring performance
• Managing housing and touring details for Carousel Players production
• Collaborating to create and distribute Carousel Players’ communications to promote and build awareness of the company and its work; and
• Such other duties as required and mutually agreed upon

This is a half-time, seasonal contract (20 hours/week) beginning on Monday, November 24, 2025, and ending on June 30, 2025. This is a permanent position, with the contract being renewed by May 30 annually for contract dates between September-June. Weekly pay is $460 (based on $23.00/hour), subject to all required employment tax deductions. There will be some evening and weekend work required. Other compensation includes: RRSP matching, HSA benefits plan, flexible lieu time and Work-From-Home policy, and professional development opportunities.

SALES (40%)

• Work with the General Manager to determine sales targets for touring productions 
• Develop new markets for Carousel Players’ touring productions through promotional campaigns and maintaining relationships with presenter networks (e.g. Ontario Presents)
• Communicate with Educators and Administrators to facilitate tour bookings at schools and other venues
• Book and manage single ticket local community performances
  • Create ticket products and manage online box office
  • Send complementary ticket invitations and manage comp lists
  • Organize front of house materials and volunteers for performances
  • Collect show statistics and audience feedback for reporting

TOUR MANAGEMENT (40%) 

• Book paid and sponsored performances into schools and presentation venues
• Act as primary point of contact for bookings from schools, community groups, presenter networks, and others
  • Manage Carousel Players’ relationships with administrators and educators
  • Address presenters' communications needs (e.g. promotional materials)
  • Distribute study guides to schools
  • Collect show statistics and audience feedback for reporting
  • Prepare & distribute performance invoices
• Coordinate Playinks In-School Education Program with school touring shows 
  • Schedule educators for pre- and post- performance classroom workshops 
  • Communicate directly with schools and arts educators about Playlinks activities
• Schedule all performance bookings within the rules of the Canadian Theatre Agreement
• Prepare and disseminate tour information for CAEA and stage managers
• With General Manager, arrange travel and local accommodation for out of town artists, and arrange artist travel and accommodations for overnight touring
  

COMMUNICATIONS (20%) 

• Update and Maintain Customer Database (Zeffy)
• Work closely with other staff to create and distribute Carousel Players public messaging including email newsletters and social media
• Work together to implement an annual communications and marketing strategy for promoting productions and the company as a whole
• Collaborate with team to create & distribute communications and marketing materials for Carousel Players’ productions, ensuring there are a consistent corporate brands developed and maintained