Volunteer Board Member

Cal Shakes/Bruns Amphitheater: Volunteer Board Member

California Shakespeare Theater

A place to belong.

California Shakespeare Theater and the Bruns Memorial Amphitheater sits in the beautiful Siesta Valley, placed gracefully just East of Oakland and Berkeley, California.

We are seeking partners, allies, gadflys and even arts-minded knowledge workers that want to use their powers for the good of the performing arts to serve on our Board of Directors.

On your three-year volunteer term you’ll help a small but mighty coalition of dedicated staff, Shakespeare and theater enthusiasts, native stand-up fans, classical music lovers and outdoor concert goers, continue to create and build communities for today and for the future,

Cal Shakes’ is dedicated to creating and maintaining a place of gathering, performance, stories, and friendship. It is in this long history of tremendous artistic output in the Bay Area, the region, and the theater world, and the talents and creations that have come through our space are second to none.

And we embrace this current moment in the American Theater. Between our legacy and the sometimes tumultuous and always evolving arts and performance scene here in the Bay Area, we have and are pursuing a wide variety of opportunities. At the center of it is the Bruns.  As the hub for theater always, but also for music, stand-up comedy, classical music, dance and more.

If this feels exciting to you, we’d love to talk more.

Board Scope of Responsibilities:

The Cal Shakes board of directors participates actively in the life of the company and the venue:

  • Attends, promotes, and supports events and shows
  • Participates actively in identifying, bringing in, and maintaining a wide and representative donor, audience, civic, and sponsorship base
  • Oversees the company’s fiscal and business processes, approves its budget, facilitates its audits
  • Hires senior management, which reports to the Board President
  • Acts as thought partners and helps guide the company’s strategic direction
  • Makes a personally meaningful and significant financial and/or time contribution
  • Attends monthly Board meetings at the Bruns
  • Participates on committees and task forces as needed and appropriate to each Board member’s skills and interests (these include: Finance, Audit, Governance/Belonging, Fundraising/Gala)

Cal Shakes seeks these qualities in particular in its Board:

  • Love for/experience with live performance and gathering
  • Connectors, who actively build community themselves
  • Fundraisers, audience developers, support-builders, partnership forgers
  • Expertise in local government, finance, law, management, culture, policy, nonprofits, fundraising
  • Representation across the many cultures and geographies of the East Bay/Bay Area
  • Listeners and learners, consistent presence
  • Bonus: Background with and enjoyment of Shakespeare and classic stories

Board Selection Process:

  • Send an email with a) your resume or LinkedIn bio, b) a brief statement about why you are interested in joining us, your familiarity with Cal Shakes/The Bruns, and the performing arts, and what interests you most
  • Initial meeting or phone conversation with a current Board member to discuss your interests and potential contribution to our Board, answer up-front questions
  • A secondary meeting with the Executive Director and/or current Board President, ideally at the Bruns
  • If appropriate, a visit to and tour of the Bruns or attendance at an event
  • If appropriate, participation on a committee or task force
  • Current Board member sponsors/presents potential new member at a Board meeting
  • Board votes on membership
  • Newly elected Board members then attend the next Board meeting

Thank you for your interest! Please send any questions to execomm@calshakes.org.

 

Looking Within Colman Domingo

“I think as artists, as actors, we are always watching. We’re watching heroes. We’re watching ordinary people do extraordinary things every single day. We’re watching

Read More »
Scroll to Top