Different Planet Arts creates inclusive, multi-sensory immersive theatre and opportunities to play for children and young people with complex disabilities, including PMLD and autism.
We create amazing arts events that people marginalised because of learning difficulties and complex additional needs come to again and again.
Different Planet Arts (DPA) wants to create a world where everybody – particularly children and young people with disabilities – enjoy, influence and are inspired by inclusive arts and cultural activities. We are an arts charity devising sensory theatre and arts events for children and young people with complex additional needs and their families to enjoy together. Based in Lewes, we meet audiences in Sussex and across the South East in theatres, art centres, schools, hospitals and community spaces. In November 2022 we won a prestigious Children and Young People Now Play Award and have just been awarded a significant Arts Council England organisational development grant to enhance our work, expand it, and strengthen our organisation. We want to harness this momentum and achieve transformational change in the months ahead. To nurture this change, we are looking for a new Chair of Trustees – an inspirational person with experience in leadership, management, strategy, and fundraising – to join our dedicated group of trustees. Our new Chair will join in November 2023 and shadow the outgoing Chair for several months before taking over the role and working with DPA’s Artistic Director on their new strategy for the years ahead. Work will also include representing the organisation, fundraising and working with patrons and ambassadors. If you are interested in this exciting and challenging role we’d like to hear from you. Please send us a short note explaining your interest in the role, along with a copy of your CV, to the address detailed below.
Key Responsibilities
- To lead the board, ensuring that it governs the charity effectively, in service of the charity’s vision and mission.
- To lead in an inclusive way, supporting the board to work together well, and providing support and challenge to the Chief Executive.
- To be an ambassador for the charity. Provide strategic leadership to the charity and the Board, ensuring that Different Planet Arts achieves its mission.
- Work in partnership with the Chief Executive and team to achieve our mission.
- Lead the board in ensuring that it fulfils its responsibilities for the governance of the organisation.
- Optimise the relationship between the board and Different Planet Arts’ staff and volunteers.
- Plan and chair the board meetings and the AGM, with others as appropriate.
- Act as a spokesperson and figurehead for Different Planet Arts.
Person Specification
- Experience of multidisciplinary arts and/or community arts.
- An interest in neurodiversity and championing inclusion.
- Experience of being a trustee.
- A keen sense of strategic purpose.
- An inclusive leadership style: able to inspire and support everyone to participate on an equal footing.
- The ability to listen and engage effectively. You are comfortable with challenge and debate and are able to encourage that in others whilst fostering a collaborative board environment.
- Advocate – be able and willing to champion Different Planet Arts’ work through personal networks, social media, and other channels. A strong personal commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Be responsive. As a small charity, things sometimes ‘come up’ that require the Chair to advise, support or give consent to.
- It is very helpful to have a Chair who is available and responsive