Rising Tides Program

• Grow your leadership skills in a supportive environment?
• Be mentored by experienced leaders, who understand your journey and the unique challenges of navigating the arts sector?
• Gain paid, hands on professional development designed to help you thrive as a mid-career arts administrator or manager?
• Build a national network of peers and mentors online and in person?

Then apply for the Rising Tides program below! 

Rising Tides is a paid, multi-faceted skill development and mentorship platform designed for IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, and People of Colour) performing arts administrators and managers. The initiative intends to fill a gap in the national performing arts sector around the training and mentorship of developing and mid-career IBPOC theatre administrators and managers by providing a program specific to the needs of this underserved community.

Five mentees will engage with mentors one-on-one, in pairings tailored to their learning goals, focusing on skill development in theatre administration tailored to meet each participant’s expressed learning goals in areas like human resources, budgeting, governance, contracting, strategic planning, and production support.

These pairings will meet regularly, on average an hour per month, from September 2025 to April 2026, supported by four full-cohort virtual meetings, scheduled around mentees’ respective availability. The program will culminate in an in-person, mandatory event at PACTcon in April 2026.

This iteration of the program will prioritize applicants from the North and the Atlantic provinces, as well as Indigenous applicants. It will also prioritize applicants who are working toward a full-time career in arts administration, as opposed to applicants who want to develop their administrative skills to support their own artistic work. Applicants should already have some foundational experience in arts administration. 

HOW TO APPLY:

• Please fill out the application form on this page below and submit a CV and cover letter outlining your interest as one combined file.

The application below consists of some basic personal information, an ability to upload your cover letter and resume or CV, and some questions to help us understand your experience and what you hope to gain as a participant in the Rising Tides program.

If this application is a barrier, please contact Nathaniel Hanula-James at nathanielhj@pact.ca for alternative ways to apply.