Keep refining the process!

In further refining the process, we then came up with a more comprehensive document which was distributed to the applicants and asked more questions of the candidates. This gives guidelines as to the challenges we face, the opportunities, the assets and the essence of The Substation and helps people delve deeper into their own resources for responses;

“What are we looking for in the new Artistic Director?

Why the Substation?

What does its future look like?

What role will it play in the Singapore arts scene of tomorrow?

THE PERSON

We are looking for a person to lead The Substation as Artistic Director into its twentieth year. A person who understands and is able to articulate the potential and the necessity of The Substation in relation to the many new arts groups and organisations that have started since the Substation was founded 19 years ago. Someone with artistic and/or intellectual capacity that can develop and execute a coherent vision that leverages on Substation's strengths and builds on its legacy.

This person must be able to gain the trust and respect of the community and staff. Other must-have skills are a willingness to engage with diverse groups of people as well as government agencies. This Director is a person who can prioritise, pace him/herself, is a multi-tasker and has the people skills needed to carry out the vision.

This person has a good network, is a good networker, and has fundraising skills. He or she is able to see beyond small budgets to create an experience that is more than its sum of parts. This person is also someone who has insight and experience with the intricacies and subtleties of working in Singapore.

The director is able to leverage on the strengths of web 2.0. Finally this person has a sense of humour, to realise that it is almost impossible to find this all in one person. Yes, this is a challenging job, and it is one that can make an important and positive contribution to the arts community and the audiences of Singapore.

THE SUBSTATION

The Substation is located 7 mins walk from the City Hall MRT and it is nestled in the heart of the Civic District making it a natural and convenient meeting point. The Substation has 13 full time staff, 4 of which are currently involved in programming. The programmers present and co-present work from different artistic disciplines.

The building itself on Armenian Street is granted under the NAC arts housing programming. In addition to the Theatre, Gallery, and Garden (which is currently rented out to Timbre), the building houses two classrooms, a dance studio, blue room, a box office and an administrative office. It has IPC status and a stable finance and governing structure. The Substation has a tradition of independent-mindedness and openness. Most importantly, there is trust and goodwill built up throughout the 19 years with its stakeholders. The current co-Artistic Director Audrey Wong, is also the Arts Nominated MP. She was selected by the arts community to represent the community in Parliament.

THE FINANCIALS

The operating annual budget is just under one million dollars and The Substation has been in the black for the past 3 years. Of the budget, less than 20% comes from government grants; The Substation earns or raises the rest, the bulk of it coming from venue rentals (38%), the rest from private donations (28%), box office (9%), courses fees (5%). The new Artistic Director will be working with a dedicated team who are committed to the financial viability and sustainability of the organisation.

PROGRAMMING AT THE SUBSTATION IN FY2008-09

The Substation's programming is organised according to 4 categories;

· Presented - where The Substation is the main enabler, curator, producer and supporter of the event which represents the vision of The Substation:

Including: My Last Adornment (exhibition) . Rock The Sub (at Singapore Arts Festival). Cloudland (exhibition at International Symposium on Electronic Arts) . The Unconference at the Night Festival . Love Notes (music appreciation) . Online Magazine . Literati (poetry & song at SeptFest). Aya Sekine (SeptFest) . New Castle (SeptFest exhibition) . Jurong West St 81 (SeptFest exhibition) . SeptFest Performances: Nanjing 1937 Phase II, Poverty, Curry Devil . Moving Images - First Take . Moving Images - Singapore Shorts Film Festival. Moving Images - Reel Revolution . Moving Images - Asian Film Symposium . Moving Images - Indie Doc Festival . Test Tube (theatre) . Imprimatura: Solos (theatre) . Circus - a collaborative performance . HAO Summit. Article - publication for Singapore Biennale. Open Call exhibitions

· Co-presented - where The Substation contributes to the show / project in any of the following ways: giving space, marketing the show, raising funds, providing curatorial input, technical expertise:

Including: Flipside (exhibition). Sometimes A Long Five Miles (exhibition) . Our Mess (exhibition) . Maps (exhibition) . PPF (poetry/ performance). Dot-net-dot-au (exhibition). The State of Things (exhibition) . Teenage Ancient (exhibition) . A Light Sleep (exhibition, M1 Fringe Festival). Volatile Candy (exhibition). Moving (exhibition). Manifold (exhibition) . The Grey Festival of Indian Contemporary Dance . Control - Film Screening . Melbourne Comedy Festival Roadshow . Rojak (SeptFest). To Each Their Own (SeptFest) . Dance Forum . Coming to Sleep (Artist's talk) . Spread the Love (gig). Looming the Memory (M1 Fringe Festival) . We live in a box (M1 Fringe Festival). No Strings attached (M1 Fringe Festival). Singapore International Film Festival Press Screening & Screening Venue. Women, Wine and Words . Quiesce (performance). Storytelling

· Art Courses - programmed and publicised by The Substation

· Venue Hire - a range of arts and commercial events by independent hirers where The Substation occasionally participates, but mostly facilitates. These include theatre groups, solo artists, visual art exhibitions, companies, conferences, film screenings, etc.

ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED

1. Why The Substation? What does its future look like? What role will it play in the Singapore arts scene of tomorrow?
2. Currently The Substation plays many roles, it is a venue for presenting and co-presenting work from different disciplines, it hires itself out as a venue and it presents courses. Should this generalist approach continue? Are there new areas of focus that the Substation can pursue, where it has a unique advantage over other arts groups or institutions in the Singapore context?
3. Are there new business and/or artistic opportunities to boost Substation’s sustainability?