Volcano’s Ross Manson, Founding Artistic Director, and Andrew Adridge, Managing Director, have announced the appointment of Joel Klein, as the company’s first Director of Touring and Global Collaboration.

Klein will oversee and manage all aspects of the company’s national and international touring activities. Part of his responsibilities are to implement the company’s new “Standard of Care” model for equitable theatre practices, geared specifically to Volcano’s work as an industry leader in international collaboration and touring. This new role is part of recent expansion at Volcano that includes Managing Director Andrew Adridge, and three new board members, Rose Genele, Melissa Chetty, and Adam Davids. Klein joined the team on August 1.

A respected figure in the arts with extensive experience across opera, theatre, and dance, Klein is known for his work in equity-driven arts strategies and global collaborations. He has worked in leadership positions at the Association for Opera in Canada and Dance West network, and ongoing consulting work.

About his new role, Klein said in a press release, “I’m delighted to join the visionary team at Volcano, where the commitment to pushing artistic boundaries and fostering inclusive, global collaborations resonates with my own passion for justice and cultural exchange. It’s exciting to be back on the ground supporting such a depth of interesting productions as they seek a global audience. Volcano’s expansive vision also allows me the scope to support the sector on a national scale through continued work with the Association for Opera in Canada and other large-scale organisations, as well as continued consulting support for Queer and racialized artists and arts organisations.”

During the pandemic, Volcano undertook a deep review of their care practices, inspired largely by the “We See You, White American Theater” (WSYWAT) alliance of arts workers and their Principles for Building Anti-Racist Theatre Systems. “At Volcano, we work experimentally, collaboratively, and we’re known for making art that transcends borders and boundaries,” says Manson. “When developing new policies, it was essential for us to ensure that in touring Black and racialized companies into majority White spaces, we could safeguard artists from some of the harms that have been all-too-common in the performing arts. Our new Standard of Care model and Asymmetrical Co-production agreement, created over many months of collaborative work among diverse arts workers, consultants and Volcano stakeholders, were designed specifically to foster equitable artistic collaborations both nationally and internationally – policies we are happy to share widely.”