Capsule is looking to recruit a part time, freelance Festival Assistant to support this year’s Supersonic.

• Role: Festival Assistant (Freelance Position)
• Deadline for application: 5pm, Monday 9 March, 2020
• Interview date: Monday 16, 2020
• Start date: Tuesday 6 April, 2020
• Fee: up to £5400 / 60 days @ £90 per day
• Duration: April – August 2020
• Frequency of days: 3 days per week – however this will increase during the week of the festival itself
• Essential dates: the successful candidate must be available to work Supersonic Festival 17-19 July, as well as days either side of this.

This role is designed to support the organisation, working across Supersonic Festival and our year-round live events programme. This role is based at the Capsule office in Digbeth, Birmingham.

For Supersonic Festival you will support all aspects of marketing and festival logistics. During the weekend itself this role will lead the festival’s ‘Marketplace’ with market traders, a small stage and workshop areas supported by a team of volunteers and any offsite projects. This role will also be responsible for capturing live audience feedback and contributing to the various social media platforms. To increase your social media traffic here see more boosting tools.

You will also work on all aspects of the year-round, live programme – supporting the promotion, research, marketing, venue and artist liaison.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and are keen to attract people of different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We actively seek board members to reflect a multitude of experiences and backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, people with a disability.

We are a small but ambitious organisation. This role would be ideal for an emerging and / or early-career, freelance arts professional, keen to expand their knowledge and enthusiasm and develop their skills in both the promotion and production of live events within a highly creative and dynamic organisation.

Application process:

To apply for this opportunity please email a completed equal opportunities form, CV, and a letter of application outlining how you feel you would fulfil this role to (maximum of 2 sides of A4) to [email protected] with ‘Festival Assistant’ in the subject line.

The deadline for applications is 5pm Monday 9 March, interviews will be taking place on Monday 16 March. We will notify candidates that we wish to interview by 5pm Wednesday 11 March. If you haven’t heard from us by then please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion. Due to the high volume of applications we cannot provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.

Capsule Board is seeking new members
Deadline: Friday 21 February 2020

“★★★★★ – The UK’s best small festival, Supersonic is world-class.” THE GUARDIAN

At a pivotal point in Capsule’s 20 year-long history of crafting extraordinary projects for curious audiences, we are looking for new Board members to work alongside our small but ambitious team to help deliver our vision.

We are committed to diversity and inclusion, and are keen to attract people of different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We actively seek board members to reflect a multitude of experiences and backgrounds. We particularly encourage applications from BAME and LGBTQ+ candidates, people with a disability.

We are particularly interested in attracting applications from the following kinds of people:  

• Marketing and / or PR expertise – we are looking for support to help significantly increase the awareness and / or raise the profile of our work  
• Business, commercial strategy and / or entrepreneurial expertise – we would be interested to hear from anyone used to maximizing and generating revenue
• Someone with a senior role from a art and / or cultural organisation with an insight into opportunities on the horizon and professional networks you are willing to share
• We are also keen to hear from fans of our work – those who may / may not also have the kinds of professional expertise described above but are passionate and committed to our work and would be able to contribute invaluable insight

For more info and the recruitment pack see HERE

Capsule is delighted to announce that Stuart Rogers, formerly Executive Director Birmingham REP, has joined the organisation as Chair of the board.

Stuart Rogers was born and educated in Birmingham and has worked in theatre management/production since 1973 when he became Theatre Programmer for the Birmingham Arts Lab. He then moved on to manage the Gulbenkian Studio Theatre and Newcastle Playhouse in Newcastle upon Tyne, followed by periods as Executive Director for Chester Gateway Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse. Following a couple of years in the southern Italian city of Bari working with the international touring theatre company Teatro Kismet, Stuart returned to Birmingham in 2002 to take up the post of Executive Director at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He left that position in 2019 to concentrate on freelance producing.

Stuart has also undertaken a range of consultancy and training work including work for Arts Council England, The British Council, The Soros Foundation, Amsterdam Summer University, L’Université de Dijon, L’Institut Francais, NOROC, The Arab Arts Association Hackney Empire, M6 Theatre Company, Action Transport Theatre Company, Dance 4, Nuffield Theatre Southampton and The Welsh College of Dance & Drama.

Vote now

We’re delighted to have been shortlisted for the Birmingham Awards for Arts & Culture Award of the Year. It’s been quite the year for us at Capsule.

Achieving a 5 star review and being named the UK’s best small festival by The Guardian for Supersonic Festival for our 15th edition.

“Finally cements the Midlands’ reputation as the home of a global musical phenomenon” – The Observer

As well as successfully conceiving and delivering our mammoth Home of Metal season this summer, which included our blockbuster exhibition ‘Black Sabbath 50 Years‘ which has attracted visitors from all over the world as well as create a strong sense of civic pride for the people of Birmingham. We achieved some pretty impressive press coverage which included: Channel 4 news, ITV news, BBC news, The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, I newspaper, Time Out, NME, Liverpool Echo as well as numerous European publications.

Dedicated fans and curious cultural audiences have travelled from countries as diverse and far as flung as Finland, Uruguay, France, Netherlands, Mexico, Czech Republic, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Australia, Russia, Japan, Spain, Myanmar, USA, Malta, Greece and more, truly illustrating just how global the heavy metal phenomenon and influence is.

Visitor map for Home of Metal ‘Black Sabbath 50 Years’

In addition as part of the season we partnered with Eastside Projects to present a new exhibition by Monster Chetwynd, at New Art Gallery Walsall we invited Alan Kane to present 4 Bed Detached Home of Metal, which included works by Jeremy Deller, Una Hamilton Helle, Des Hughes, Jim Lambie, Sarah Lucas, Jessica Mallock, Mike Nelson, Simon Periton, Mark Titchner, Cathy Ward, Charlie Woolley and, of course, Alan Kane. And invited fans to display their metal collections within the gallery.

Ben Venom

At mac we presented the first UK solo show by US artist Ben Venom, All This Mayhem, as well as showing a selection of metal fan portraits in their Battle Jackets, with an exhibition titled Hand of Doom. We partnered with Centrala to create an exhibition which explored the Polish music scene under state control through archival material including letters, cassette tapes and zines, collected by Polish fans.

Our Home of Metal Volunteers

All made possible by an incredible group of volunteers that have worked with us and very generous funders and sponsors Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery Fund, Laney Amplification, Colmore Business District, BIMM. 

In Kind support came from Crystal Head Vodka, Hobgoblin, Music For Nations – Sony, Gibson Guitars, Eagle Rock Entertainment, BMG, Action Graphics, Dunlop

We’re up against all the big guys, so it would be quite something to be recognised for the work we’ve done to put Birmingham on the map culturally.

Supersonic Festival 2019 celebrated our 15th edition, with a sell out event and incredible press reviews which included a 5 star review by The Guardian, naming us the UK’s best small festival.

“By embracing the heaviness in Birmingham’s heritage, and adding a strong dose of eccentricity, Supersonic is world-class.” Read the full article HERE

Neurosis at Birmingham Town Hall photo by Joseph Singh

Here is a taster of some of the other amazing press coverage we received

The Quietus wrote “Supersonic Festival celebrates weirdness. It encourages unbridled creativity. It expands the imagination. It promotes the free and limitless pursuit of expression in order to expand the body, the mind, and the human spirit. It forges unlikely connections between ostensibly different areas, ideas, people and disciplines.”
Read the full article HERE

“Supersonic Festival has grown into one of the world’s most important events for new music. Cherry-picking the finest experimental music from all over the globe, its line-up grows increasingly diverse with each passing year. Now in its 15th year, Supersonic has become known as an event that consistently represents some of the globe’s best and most innovative music.”Louder
Read the full article HERE

“Supersonic has built its deserved reputation for excellence via the steady guiding hand and considerable curatorial nous of Capsule, the team behind it. This year they are in overdrive in celebration of Birmingham as the Home of Metal.” Echoes and Dust
Read the full article HERE

“The chance to see Godflesh and Neurosis play Birmingham’s Town Hall was a rare – possibly a once-in-a-lifetime – treat….This year we get a black sistah punk, a trigger synth party noise machine, Portuguese purveyors of ‘skull cave echo’, supernatural soundscapes and meditative poetry.” Express & Star
Read the full article HERE

Home of Metal – Exhibition Pop-up Shop Coordinator  (Freelance Role)
2 x Freelance Roles / 3 – 4 days per week (June – September)
Fee: £90 per day
Employer: Capsule
Location of post: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery
Closing date: 5pm, Friday 31 May, 2019
Interview date: Friday 7 June, 2019
Start date: week commencing 24 June, 2019

The role:

We are currently recruiting staff to maintain and manage the Home of Metal Exhibition Pop-up Shop – enhancing visitor experience and providing a high level of customer service.

Background and context:

Black Sabbath – 50 Years is a major exhibition exploring the legacy of Black Sabbath and their global fan base. A blockbuster exhibition devoted to the music that was born in and around Birmingham. Music that turned up the volume, down-tuned the guitars, and introduced a whole new meaning to the word ‘heavy’. The exhibition celebrates Black Sabbath from the perspective of their fans, to show the impact and cultural legacy of the band as pioneers of Heavy Metal, and to celebrate this unique, significant part of British music heritage. For further information about Home of Metal please visit: www.homeofmetal.com

Application process: 

Detailed information about this role can be found Home of Metal Exhibition Pop-up Shop Coordinator

To apply please send an up to date CV in a PDF file and accompanying letter (of no more than 2 sides of A4) outlining your relevant experience and why you are interested in this role to Beth at [email protected] by 5pm, Friday 31 May 2019. For pdf conversion use sodapdf online tool.

Interviews will be taking place on Friday 7 June and we will notify candidates that we wish to interview by 5pm Wednesday 5 June. If you haven’t heard from us by then please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Due to the high volume of applications we cannot provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.

We are delighted to welcome to the team our new Supersonic Assistant Rosie Tunley. A recent graduate of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

Come and join the Capsule Team, we are recruiting for a new Capsule Assistant…

Role: Capsule Assistant (Freelance Position)
Deadline for application: 5pm, Friday 1 March
Interview date: Monday 11 March
Start date: Tuesday 2 April
Fee: up to £5610 / 66 days @ £85 per day
Duration: April – August 2019 (with possible extension)
Hours: 3 days per week
Frequency of days per month: April (12), May (12), June (12), July (16), August (8), plus 6 x flexible extra days used as and when in agreement with the Executive Producer. It is essential that the successful candidate is available to work Supersonic Festival weekend 19-21 July, including days either side of this.

The role: The Capsule Assistant role is designed to support the organisation, working across Supersonic Festival and our live events programme.

For Supersonic Festival you will support marketing and assist with festival logistics. During the weekend itself this role will lead the festival’s ‘Market Place’ with market traders, a small stage and workshop areas supported by a team of volunteers and any offsite projects. This role will also be responsible for capturing live audience feedback and contributing to the various social media platforms.

You will work on all aspects of the year-round, live programme – supporting the promotion, research, marketing, venue and artist liaison.

This role is based at the Capsule office at the Custard Factory in Birmingham and not suitable for remote working.

We are a small but ambitious organisation. This role would be ideal for an emerging / early-career, freelance arts professional, keen to harness their knowledge and enthusiasm and develop their skills in both the promotion and production of live events within a highly creative and dynamic organisation.

Essential experience & skills overview (more in-depth information about this role can be found in the person specification):  

• Knowledge and interest in experimental music / arts, digital and live events.
• Worked within the arts, music, cultural or heritage sectors.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.
• Good organisational skills, able to prioritise and problem solve.
• General IT skills.
• A good knowledge of Photoshop.
• A good knowledge and experience of using social media platforms.
• Be resourceful, level headed and be able to work well under pressure.

Personal Profile:

We are looking to appoint a warm and welcoming team player who likes working with people in an engaging way, who is assertive when dealing with challenging situations and is flexible, pragmatic and resourceful in coordinating and delivering projects. She/he needs to be able to hit the ground running, be self-motivated and prepared to work flexibly and sometimes unsociable hours during project delivery. We are looking for someone with a positive and confident attitude who is passionate about creating art events that reach out to a range of audiences.

Application pack:

Job role
Person Specification
Equal Opportunities Form

Application process:

To apply for this opportunity please email your equal opportunities form, CV, a letter of application outlining how you feel you would fulfil this role to (maximum of 2 sides of A4)  to [email protected] with ‘Capsule Assistant’ In the title

The deadline for applications is 5pm Friday 1 March, interviews will be taking place on Monday 11 March and we will notify candidates that we wish to interview by 5pm Wednesday 6 March. If you haven’t heard from us by then please assume your application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.  Due to the high volume of applications we cannot provide feedback on unsuccessful applications.