Pleasance Theatre Trust - Role Pack

Programme Administrator
Nov 2025

About Pleasance Theatre Trust
About the Role

Role Description
Key Responsibilities
Personal Specifications
Contract Terms

How to Apply

Application Timeline
Application Process
How we assess your application
If your application is successful
Help

Equal Opportunities

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About Pleasance Theatre Trust

As  a  registered  charity,  the  Pleasance  Theatre  Trust  aims  to  create  a  compelling  platform  to  discover,
nurture and support fresh artistic talent from across the globe.

Operating year-round in London and in Edinburgh during the Festival Fringe in August, the Pleasance has
become renowned for delivering an inspiring programme year on year that uniquely embodies the spirit of
the Fringe.

Our  London  base  houses  3  theatres,  whilst  Pleasance  Edinburgh  is  home  to  23  performance  spaces
across 3 sites with an audience of over 500,000 across 27 days.

As an educational charity the Pleasance is fiercely committed to developing opportunities to grow careers.
In  our  team,  experienced  industry  professionals  stand  proudly  side  by  side  with  those  just  starting  out.
Together they support the artists on stage, visiting audiences, and each other.

The Pleasance is a hub of creativity which cultivates the brightest new ideas, raw talent and skills.

Join us.

The  Pleasance  Theatre  Trust   is  a  registered charity - charity numbers 1050944 (England & Wales) and
SC043237 (Scotland).

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About the Role

Role:
Department:
Line Manager:
Key Relationships:

Programme Administrator
Operations and Programming
Head of Operations
Head of Operations,Operations Coordinator, Box
Office  Manager,  Head  of  Comedy,  Head  of  Theatre  (Edinburgh),  Development
Producer

Role Description

The  Programme  Administrator  plays a key role during the run-up to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, under
the  Programming  Department  and  Operations  Department  they  will  act  as  one  of  the  primary  points  of
contact for all performing companies within the Pleasance’s festival programme.

They  will  support  correspondence  for  programme  submissions  and  register  all  shows  within  the
Pleasance’s  festival  programme,  acting  as  a  liaison  between  the  Pleasance,  the  Fringe  Society  and
programmed  performing  companies.  They will provide performing companies with all relevant information
needed  ahead  of  their  shows  being put on sale and ensure that the programming, box office, marketing,
operations  and  finance  teams  have  all  the  information  they  need  in  order  to  fully  process  each  show,
working under the direction of each Head of Department.

Once registered, the Programme Administrator will play an active role in proofing and amending all website
and brochure entries for each show, tracking all changes and keeping the corresponding databases up to
date.  They  will  work  particularly  closely  with  the  marketing  department  to  help  create  and  proof  a  wide
range of promotional materials.

In  Edinburgh,  the  Programme  Administrator  will  work closely with both the Programming and Operations
teams  to  assist  with  a  wide  range  of  tasks  to  ensure  the  smooth delivery of the Pleasance programme.
They  will  maintain  close  contact  with  shows  and  artists,  and ensure smooth and clear communication is
maintained across departments.

The  Programme  Administrator  will  work  closely  with  the  wider  team  to  manage  correspondence  with
performing  companies,  sending  operational  updates  and  fielding  enquiries..  They  will  undertake
pre-production work across a variety of departments, ahead of key festival team members assuming their
roles.  They  will  assist  the  press  team  in  collating  and  filing  assets  and  assist  the  box  office  team  in
gathering information for joint ticketing initiatives, such as EdFest and Love The Fringe. They will assist the
operations team with festival recruitment, volunteer onboarding and accommodation and the management
of guest lists for various festival events.

Overall, the Programme Administrator will always be on-hand with a positive can-do attitude, to assist with
any and all administrative preparations for the festival, as and when needed by the full-time members of the
team.

Key Responsibilities

Performer Submissions

●  Handling general correspondence with prospective companies, answering questions and referring

time sensitive queries to programmers

●  Overseeing administration of the submission process including managing database of submissions

and responding to artists on the status of their submissions

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Registration

●  Act  as  one  of the   primary contacts for all performing companies, from the point of programming
onwards.  Support  programme  registrations  for  Pleasance  Edinburgh  according  to  the  agreed
timeline  and  collate  promotional  assets  for  inclusion  in  the  Pleasance  and  Fringe  Society
brochures

●  Collate, log and keep updated performance information for each show
●  Ensure clear communication between all departments regarding upcoming deadlines

Company Liaison & Asset Management

●  Handle  communications  with  performing  companies  to  ensure  relevant  assets  are  received and

proofed for use in promotional campaigns, according to the agreed timeline

●  Provide support to performing companies as needed
●  Send regular updates to all performing companies and handle enquiries
●  Distribute relevant information internally for feedback and sign off as required

Pre-Festival

●  Support accommodation allocation for artists and staff and liaise with company and staff requests
regarding  access,  gender  and  general  preferences  under  the  direction  of  the  Operations
Co-ordinator

●  Assist with volunteer and staff onboarding, and processing data

During the Festival

●  Overseeing sign-off of ticketing details in communication with the Programmers.
●  Liaising with Programmers and companies to resolve show issues.
●  Supporting the producing of in-house shows and events such as the Opening Gala, Tartan Ribbon

Comedy Benefit, co-productions.

●  Deputising for Programmers and Operations team where necessary.
●  Other administrative, production and operational tasks as required to ensure the smooth delivery of

the Pleasance programme.

Post Festival

●  Collate  report  and  gather  data  for  debrief  and  steering  committees  such  as  Sustainability  and

Diversity and Inclusion

General

●  Act as a representative of the Pleasance and its values

Personal Specifications

Essential Skills

●  Excellent written and verbal communication
●  Ability to work to strict deadlines
●  Multitasking and maintaining composure under pressure
●  Strong relationship management
●  Well organised, with meticulous attention to detail
●  Ability to work well as part of a team
●  Knowledge of, and interest in the arts

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Desirable Skills

●  Experience working with artists, performing companies and promoters
●  Ability to efficiently manage, input and organise large amounts of data
●  Experience of working with data management software

Contract Terms

Contract Type:
Essential Days:

Fixed term | Part time
You must be available in the week before these key Fringe Registration dates:

11 February
1 April
6 May
4 June

Period of Engagement:  12 January 2026 - early September 2026
£16,000 to be paid in agreed instalments
Fixed Fee:
Place of Work:
London (Jan-Jul) & Edinburgh (Jul/Aug), United Kingdom
Schedule of Work:         3-5 days per week as required, increasing to 6 days per week in Edinburgh
Holidays:
Other:
Probation:
Right to Work:             All applicants must have the right to work in the UK. If you are not a UK

20 days per annum (pro rated), plus all Bank Holidays
Accommodation and subsistence payments while in Edinburgh
6 weeks

citizen and require additional visas or working permissions, please specify
this in your application.

How to Apply

Application Timeline

Deadline: Applications close at 5pm, Friday 28 November 2025
Interviews: Week Commencing 1st December 2025

To apply for this role, you can make one of the following applications:

●

In Writing: A written application can be made by emailing your CV and a cover letter
explaining your suitability to the role to jobs@pleasance.co.uk with the role title and your
name included in the subject line.

●  Audio: An audio application can be made by emailing an .MP3 audio file of your cover letter /
suitability to the role. A verbal summary of your relevant experience can be given in place of a
CV. Audio should be clear and easy to hear and understand. To submit an audio application
email the file to jobs@pleasance.co.uk with the role title and your name included in the
subject line. If the file is large please use a file sharing site such as www.wetransfer.com
●  Video: A video application can be made by emailing a .MP4 or .MOV video file of your cover
letter / suitability to the role. A verbal summary of your relevant experience can be given in
place of a CV. There is no dress code for video applications. To submit a video application
email the file to jobs@pleasance.co.uk with the role title and your name included in the
subject line. If the file is large please use a file sharing site such as www.wetransfer.com, or
upload a private video to a hosting site such as YouTube, Google Drive or Dropbox and send
the link for viewing.

●  Please can you also complete our Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form - all data is

anonymised and stored in line with our GDPR Policy.

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Application Process

The process has two to three stages:

1.  An application
2.
3.  Second round interviews for further shortlisted interviewees if deemed necessary

Interviews for shortlisted candidates

How we assess your application

●  Each  application  is  assessed  by  someone  who  works  in  the  team  you  are  applying  to  -
typically  a  manager with a knowledge of the requirements of the role. They will assess your
application  with  a  mixture  of  comments  and scores for how closely they think you meet the
requirements  of  the  role.  Requirements  are  outlined  in  the  “What we look for in applicants”
and “Role description” sections of this pack.

●  The assessor will determine a shortlist of candidates for interview.

●  You  will  be  notified  by  email  if  you  are  shortlisted  for  an  interview.  Interviews  take  place

in-person or online using Zoom.

●  The  interview  will  be  conducted  by  1  or  2  interviewers  who  have  a  knowledge  of  the
requirements  of  the  role.  They  will  assess  your  interview  with  a  mixture  of  comments  and
scores for how closely they think you meet the requirements of the role.

●

If  deemed  necessary,  a  second  interview  will  be  conducted  and  will  be  an  opportunity  to
discuss a particular area of the role in more detail.

●  Due to the volume of applications received, we regret that we are unable to notify applicants

that are not successful at the application stage or provide feedback.

●  An update can be provided on the status of your application at any time by emailing

jobs@pleasance.co.uk. We aim to reply to all enquiries within 7 days.

If your application is successful

●  You will receive an offer by email, confirming the terms and other relevant information.

●  You  will  be  invited  to  discuss  any  access  requirements  you  have  so  we  can  discuss  what

adjustments can be made together.

●  You are welcome to ask any further questions prior to accepting the offer.

●  After  you  accept  your  offer,  you  will  be  sent  a  contract  to  sign  and  any  other  relevant

information.

Help

If you require help with your application you may contact us by:

●  Email: jobs@pleasance.co.uk

●  Phone: +44 (0) 207 619 6868

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We aim to reply to all enquiries within 7 days.

Equal Opportunities

At  the Pleasance Theatre Trust we want our team to reflect wider society and welcome applications
from  all  sections  of  the  community  -  in  particular  from  anyone  currently  underrepresented  in  the
creative industries.

We welcome applications from everyone, regardless of background or social group. If you would like
to  have  an  informal  discussion  about  any  role  available  or  anything  in  this pack before you submit
your application please contact jobs@pleasance.co.uk.

You can also email to talk to us about your access needs. We discuss access with candidates at each
step of the application process, so first we would discuss access for the application, then, if successful
for the interview and then if successful, for the job.

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