Founding Board of Directors, The Young Shakespeareans

If I can do Shakespeare, I can do anything!

Volunteer board position. Time commitment of roughly 80 to 120 hours per year. Meetings held in Los Angeles with remote participation available. Learn more at www.theyoungshakespeareans.com.

For sixteen years, The Young Shakespeareans has put students from historically under-resourced Los Angeles public schools on the stage of their own school, performing Shakespeare for their classmates, families, and neighbors. Most of them have never seen a play before they are in one. We are looking for the people who will help us bring that experience to many more schools and students.

About The Young Shakespeareans

The Young Shakespeareans is an educational and youth-development organization that uses extended, immersive Shakespeare-based theatre residencies in historically under-resourced Los Angeles public schools to build academic strength, creative capacity, social-emotional skills, mental health and well-being, and professional readiness. Founded in 2010, we have delivered sixteen years of continuous programming in Title I public schools in South Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.

Each residency runs 40 to 60 hours of workshops for 25 to 30 students in grades 2 through 12, led by three teaching artists and supported by paid program alumni who once sat where these students sit. Every student completes at least three public performances on the stage of their own school. Roughly 400 students a year take part directly, and several thousand more see the work as student, family, and community audiences. For most of them it is their first live theatre, their first Shakespeare, and the first performance they have ever seen at their school. Theatre is our method; the performance is how the learning is assessed. We pay our teaching artists, technical directors, and alumni assistants; we do not run on volunteer labor. Our students say it best in our motto: "If I can do Shakespeare, I can do anything!"

Why now

After sixteen years as a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives, The Young Shakespeareans is stepping out on its own as an independent 501(c)(3), with independence targeted for January 1, 2027. We are creating a founding Board of Directors to support executing our Strategic Plan to scale service to additional under-resourced schools and students in LA County and beyond. This is a rare invitation. Founding directors will be named in the Articles of Incorporation, adopt the bylaws and conflict of interest policy, approve the transition agreement with our fiscal sponsor, and shape the governance culture of the organization from its first day, working alongside members of our current advisory board who are moving onto the governing board.

Who we are looking for

We are building a board of seven to eleven directors and hoping to meet people in three areas. If you recognize yourself in one of them, we would love to talk.

Fund development and philanthropy: people who know how major gifts, foundation and corporate relationships, and institutional philanthropy work in Los Angeles, and who enjoy opening doors for an organization at the start of its independent life.

Arts education and program partnerships: educators, school and district leaders, arts administrators, and youth development practitioners who know how programs get placed and sustained in public schools, and who want to help us build lasting partnerships with schools, districts, and fellow arts organizations.

Community, parent, and youth advocacy: parents, alumni, organizers, and advocates rooted in the South Los Angeles and San Fernando Valley communities we serve, who care about Los Angeles public schools and the students who walk through their doors every day.

Prior board service is welcome and not required. What matters most is a belief in what young people can do when someone hands them something hard and trusts them with it. We are committed to a board that reflects the students and communities we serve in race, ethnicity, gender, age, lived experience, and professional background.

What the role involves

Directors attend six two-hour board meetings a year and serve on one standing committee (Executive, Finance and Audit, Governance and Nominating, or Development), for a total commitment of roughly 80 to 120 hours annually. Directors hold the fiduciary duties of care, loyalty, and obedience, and share responsibility for strategy, financial oversight, and resource development. The annual give-or-get expectation will be set collectively by the Founding Board, with confidential hardship accommodations available through the Board Chair. Directors and officers insurance and indemnification are provided. You will also be invited to see the work in person, and we recommend it; a performance tends to answer questions faster than a packet can.

How the process works

We start with a conversation, not a form. From there, candidates review our board materials, attend a program immersion, submit a written statement of interest, meet with the governance committee, and are elected and welcomed through orientation. The process typically takes six to ten weeks, and we will be in touch at every step.

To express interest

Send a brief note about which of the three areas fits you and why, along with a resume or LinkedIn profile, to theyoungshakespeareans@gmail.com. We read every message and will follow up to schedule a conversation. To see the work first, visit www.theyoungshakespeareans.com. If you know someone who would be a fit , please pass this along.