Programs + Initiatives
Hello: Designers Intake
GVPTA's Hello program offers theatre performers, designers, stage managers, and production professionals who are actively seeking work the opportunity to create an introductory video that will be seen by directors, producers, and other theatre hiring personnel.
While our focus is Metro Vancouver and surrounding regions, we will accept applications from individuals based in other communities within B.C.
The Hello program is held and managed on the principles of equity and diversity. We invite participants from all backgrounds including, but not limited to: race, ethnicity, indigeneity, gender, sexual orientation, class, mental and physical ability.
Application intake is now open.
If you work in a sector of the theatre industry other than Performing, Design, Production Management, Technical Direction, or Stage Management, and are interested in the Hello Program, please email Mishelle at mishelle@gvpta.ca and we are happy to discuss your options.
Deadline to Apply: September 26, 4:00pm
Timeline
Here are the important dates to remember:
- September 26, 2023, 4:00pm - Deadline to apply
- September 28 - Applicants receive notification of results
- October 20 - Deadline for invited participants to submit materials
Eligibility & Expectations
Expand the accordion below to learn about whether you're eligible to apply, and what to expect if your application is approved and you are invited to participate.
Am I eligible to apply for the Hello program?
- You must be based in British Columbia and seeking to work in theatre between now and December, 2024;
- You must have experience or training as a designer within one or more of the following disciplines:
- Set
- Props
- Costume
- Sound
- Lighting
- Video / Projection
- Designers who participated in the 2022 Designers Spotlight are eligible to apply.
- If invited to participate, you must be a current GVPTA Individual Member (sliding scale starting from $10) to confirm your spot in the program.
Priority will be given to those designers who are:
An emerging designer; and/or
Identify as being from an underrepresented community (This may include, but is not limited to: First Nations, Inuit, or Métis peoples; racialized artists; person who has/is blind, low vision, limited mobility, neurodiverse, deaf, hearing loss; living with a disability; minority language communities; LGBTQ2+); and/or
New to British Columbia (moved to BC between 2020 and 2023); and/or
A mid-career or established artist looking to expand their work into a new facet of the industry.
Designers who participated in the April, 2023 Hello intake can opt to keep their existing Hello profiles active until February 28, 2024.
What should I expect if my application is approved and I am invited to participate?
Designers invited to participate in Hello can expect the following:
Those whose applications have been approved and are invited to participate will be notified by September 28.
Designers invited to the Hello program will submit a recorded video or audio self-introduction (three to five minutes), and resumé. See "I've been invited to participate! What's next?" below for further details and guidelines.
All Hello program profiles will be available to watch by invited directors, hiring personnel, and other company representatives over a three-month period.
Follow-up interviews are at the sole discretion of each attending production company or director, all of whom will contact you using the information on your resumé. See FAQfor more details.
Please note: Submitting an application does not guarantee acceptance to the program.
What companies have participated previously and accessed artists’ materials?
Who might you expect to access your recording, resumé, and other materials? Applications to access the viewing platform are accepted from companies and independent directors on a rolling basis.
As an example, directors or hiring personnel from the following companies participated in Spring, 2023:
Arts Club Theatre Company
Axis Theatre Company
Blackout Art Society
Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre
Carousel Theatre for Young People
Delta Stageworks
Exact Resemblance
Gateway Theatre
Miracle Theatre
Neworld Theatre
Pacific Theatre
Pi Theatre
Presentation House Theatre
rice and beans theatre
Ruby Slippers Theatre
Savage Society
shameless hussy productions
The Dance Centre
United Players of Vancouver
vAct (Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre)
Zee Zee Theatre
Application requirements: How do I apply?
Please note: Submitting an application does not guarantee an invitation to participate.
1. General Details
- Your full name, email, and phone number;
- Your pronouns;
- Your location in B.C.;
- Which of the following you identify as:
- Emerging theatre artist or worker; and/or
- Mid-career or established theatre artist or worker (and why the program would benefit you now); and/or
- New to British Columbia (moved to BC between 2020 and 2023).
- Your general area of design discipline:
- Set, Props, Costume, Sound, Video / Projection, Lighting, Other
- Professional associations or union affiliations, if applicable
2. Resumé
- One document, a maximum of two pages in PDF format (maximum 10MB);
- File name must include your Full Name, Content of file, and PDF format. (e.g. FirstName_LastName-Resume.pdf);
- Ensure your name and contact information are included;
- If your work experience covers multiple design disciplines, focus the majority of the resumé on the credits that you want the directors to know about more (See Designers' FAQ below for more details);
- If you’d like, feel free to provide a maximum of two (2) references, which could include: producers/directors to shows worked, a supervising instructor or professor, or design mentor recognized in the theatre industry, etc.
- You will also have the option to provide a link to your portfolio website.
I’ve been invited to participate! What’s next?
Following the application review, designers who are selected to participate in the Hello program will be asked to submit a self-recorded introduction and portfolio materials.
These materials will be made available for viewing over a three-month duration by directors, producers, and hiring personnel seeking new talent. They will have access to download designers' resumés in order to directly follow up with those they're interested in speaking with. See the accordion below for further details on the recording.
Those invited to participate must be a current GVPTA Individual Member (sliding scale starting from $10) to confirm their spot in the program.
Introductory Video/Audio Details
Designers invited to participate will submit a video or audio clip of three (3) to five (5) minutes in length, introducing themselves, to be viewed by directors, producers, or other hiring personnel. It cannot exceed 5 minutes.
Your single video or audio clip should include, in the following order:
- A short greeting, including your full name, pronouns, and the primary designer role you're introducing yourself as;
- Introduction to you as a designer, including, but not limited to:
- Artistic Mandate and/or Design Philosophies - What is your definition of a designer? What are your influences and/or inspiration for your work? What are artistic and/or working values for you?
- Practice - How do you describe the design aesthetic or genre you default to? Briefly, what are one or two examples of work in the past that are most representative of your body of work?
- Interests and other info - Any interests or relevant personal information you might feel compelled to share.
We encourage designers to edit their video/audio clip in a way they feel best represents their work and how they are compelled to share it. This could be a slide show with voice over, speaking directly to the camera, or other methods. See the FAQ below to expand further on potential ways to structure your clip.
Headshot (optional)
As part of your submission, you may include an optional headshot.
- We will accept ONE headshot in PDF or JPEG format. File format must include your Full Name, Content of file, and PDF/JPEG format. (eg. FirstName_LastName-Headshot.pdf);
- Digital dimension equivalent to a 8 x 10” printed shot.
What are the technical requirements for the video/audio file submission?
You may submit either a video or an audio file to be viewed by hiring personnel.
Video specifications:
- All submission videos must be in .MOV or .MP4 format (no video links)
- Resolution: 720 p - 1080 p (HD)
- Compressed files preferred (maximum 200 MB)
- Filmed horizontally
- Highly encouraged to have 3/4 (torso up) of yourself visible when filming and be in centre frame;
- File format must include your full name and content of file and video format (eg. “FirstName_LastName-Designer.mp4” OR “FirstName_LastName-Designer.mov”);
Audio only file specifications:
- All audio files must be in .MP3 or .WAV format (no audio links)
- Maximum 200 MB;
- File format must include your full name and content of file and audio format (eg. “FirstName_LastName-Designer.mp3” OR “FirstName_LastName-Designer.wav”);
- Optional: For audio-only introductions we recommend also submitting an image (.jpg or .png) to accompany your recording during playback (e.g. logo, name, headshot, preferred production still, etc.).
See the FAQ below for tips and best practices on structuring your recording.
Frequently Asked Questions for Designers
Click the questions below to expand the accordion and read more.
1. How does the Hello program work?
Designers invited to participate in the Hello program will submit a video or audio clip of 3 to 5 minutes in duration. The recording will include a self-introduction, information about your professional mandate/philosophy, practice, and interests or other information you feel compelled to share with hiring personnel and potential collaborators.
These recordings, along with resumés and designer portfolios will be accessible to participating directors, producers, production managers, and other hiring personnel, for approximately three months.
2. Is the Hello Program different from the Designers’ Spotlight program that you offered in 2022?
The Designers’ Spotlight was quite successful in connecting designers and hiring personnel last year, and we expanded the program this year to include arts workers and performers through a similar process. The Hello program is functionally equivalent to the 2022 Designers’ Spotlight, sharing introductions with hiring personnel.
The goal of the program is to offer a platform for hiring personnel to get to know local theatre workers who are looking for employment, and to get a sense of who each individual is, both as a person and as an artist or arts worker.
3. How do I get invited to participate?
Review the eligibility criteria and fill out the application form linked at the top of this page by the deadline.
Please note that submitting an application does not guarantee an invitation to participate in the program.
4. How do I become a GVPTA member?
If you are invited to participate in the Hello program you will be required to have a current GVPTA Individual Membership to confirm your spot.
If you are not a current member, you will be asked to complete a membership application form and pay an annual fee (sliding scale from $10). Find more information about becoming a member here.
5. If I apply, does that mean I’m automatically in?
Applying for the Hello program does not guarantee an invitation to participate.
Only those invited to participate will submit an introductory video or audio recording.
6. Do I submit separate applications for the different design work that I do?
No. We encourage you to apply and, if invited to participate, submit one video or audio recording that encompasses all your design skill sets and shares the scope of your practice.
If you have multiple skill sets (e.g. you are a costume, prop, set, and lighting designer), we leave it up to you how you craft your portfolio and video/audio to discuss all of your work.
7. Can I apply to both the Designer and Arts Worker streams?
No. You may submit through either the Designer OR Arts Worker stream – not both.
We encourage you to apply through whichever stream you are most interested in working in (e.g. Arts Worker OR Designer) and, if invited to participate, submit one video or audio recording that encompasses all your offstage skill sets and shares the scope of your practice.
8. I am also a performer. Can I apply to both the Designer and Performer streams?
Yes, you can submit separate applications as a Designer and as a Performer.
9. I participated in the April, 2023 Hello program intake. Can I create a new video and/or artistic profile?
No. Artists who took part in our last Hello Program intake are welcome to keep their profiles active until February 28, 2024, or have them removed at the end of September. You can apply to submit a new video in Spring, 2024.
10. If I'm selected to participate, who has access to my materials?
All GVPTA Member Companies are invited to register to view the artist and arts worker profiles and to download resumés. Independent directors and non-member companies are also invited to participate if they intend to hire or create work in the next year. Given the shift to digital profiles which can be viewed over the course of three months, we cannot guarantee the number of directors or which individuals from the companies participating will view your profile.
For our current list of GVPTA member companies, check our member directory.
We acknowledge all submitted work is the property of the submitting designer. Video and audio files shared are not downloadable, and directors are instructed to not share the portfolios or recordings outside of their company. GVPTA will not make public, disseminate, and/or use the content submitted by designers without their written consent. GVPTA is not liable if a participating director or company does make public, disseminates, and/or use any submitted works of designers.
11. Will I hear back from any of the directors or hiring personnel who view my materials?
Follow up meetings are at the discretion of each director and producing company, all of whom will be provided with your resumé to reach out to you directly.
GVPTA is not a producing organization, and will not be a liaison for any of the participating companies.
Reminder: Production cycles vary, and you might not hear from interested parties for many months.
13. If I’m selected to participate, what are the editing requirements of my video or audio?
The total video or audio introduction should be a maximum of 5 minutes in duration. It cannot exceed 5 minutes. Please review the I’ve been invited to participate! What’s next? section above for more details.
Requirements include:
- Video:
- All submission videos must be in .MOV or .MP4 format (no video links);
- Resolution: 720p - 1080p (HD);
- Compressed files preferred (maximum 200 MB);
- Filmed horizontally
- Audio:
- For designers submitting audio only, file format must be in .MP3 or .WAV format (no audio links).
- Maximum 200MB
Designers are welcome to structure their introduction and discuss their artistic practice and other interests however you see fit. This structure may include, but is not limited to:
- A one shot continuous or short edits for their introduction and other things they want to share; OR
- An audio submission of their introduction and other things they want to share; OR
- Your introduction has you on video, then there’s a cut to visuals or video clips or other recordings that highlight some of the work in your portfolio which helps illustrate your practice.
For example:
Lee is a costume designer; they introduce themselves briefly on camera and then cut to slides of their costumes with a voice over talking about their process; OR
Scout is a sound designer; they introduce themselves briefly on camera and then cut to a screen recording of them showing their SoundCloud page and then playing samples of their soundscapes over a voice over that helps them talk about their practice.
14. What are some video and audio best practices and advice?
General best practices for filming your video:
- You’re welcome to film yourself with your phone, video recorder, or video camera;
- Make sure you have front lighting so we can see your face;
- Try your best to record in a quiet room or at a time with the least amount of background noise. Audio quality is key!
- Do not use overlay filters or effects while filming your video;
- Make sure you are framed in the shot and about 3/4s of you is visible (torso up), and camera is at eye level (not from above or below shots);
- Do some research beforehand on your video settings. If you are new to self-taping check out the articles below:
- Backstage has extensive articles on tips when filming (note that this is for a self-tape context for film and TV, please read articles as a reference; these are not requirements for our submission process): https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/guide-perfect-self-tape-1758/
- Circle.hd breaks down video terminology when it comes to our requirements of video resolution and size: https://www.circlehd.com/blog/how-to-calculate-video-file-size
General best practice for recording your audio:
- If you are not comfortable doing your introduction on video, you have the option to submit an audio recording;
- You’re welcome to use your phone or any audio recording device to record your audio;
- If you are able to adjust your recording settings, we suggest recording between 16,000 - 48,000 Hz;
- Try your best to record in a quiet room or at a time with the least amount of background noise.
15. What technical support can the GVPTA offer for submissions?
If you have specific technical complications for your submission our team can try and help, although we have limited resources ourselves.
Specifically if you have trouble with your media files (video or audio) being attached to our online form, then feel free to use either WeTransfer or shareable Google Drive link and send that to Mishelle at mishelle@gvpta.ca.
Please let us know if you have any barriers or challenges as you prepare your materials.
Articles on alternatives for submitting video or audio files:
- WeTransfer is a free to use platform (although you can sign up to get more features) where folks can transfer files and prevent further compression (ie prevents file quality to be compromised). If you need a quick tutorial on how to use it, check out this video (made by JayCLife). Troubleshooting for WeTransfer can be found here on their Help page.
- Google Drive Sharing is a way to use your Google Drive to share files (make sure to upload those files in your Drive first). If you need a quick tutorial on how to set up a shareable file via Google Drive, check out this video (made by LAT IT Trainer).
Deadline to Apply: September 26, 4:00pm
Questions?
If you have further questions about the Hello program, contact Mishelle Cuttler, Programs Manager, at mishelle@gvpta.ca.
