You can learn more about available funding here.
No, unfortunately the Arts Council is not in a position to support vocational acting training abroad.
The way to get help for a single production is through the Theatre Project Award. There are usually two deadlines a year, in Spring and Autumn. There are four strands to the award:
- Play Development
- Creation
- Presentation
- Production
The guidelines for the award are usually published about eight weeks in advance of the deadline, and contain all the information you require to apply. Please note that the Theatre Project Award is extremely competitive, so there is no guarantee of success even if your application satisfies the criteria for the award. It is advisable to read the guidelines very carefully, and to have the support of a venue and/or festival or other theatre producing organisation when making a project application.
You can get support to develop a play script or performance text through Strand 1 of the Theatre Project Award, mentioned in the answer to question two above. Details of the award are available in the available funding section of the Arts Council website.
Unfortunately, due to ongoing budgetary constraints, at present it is only possible for a producer to apply for one project at a time, through the Project Award.
No, playwrights can only apply for support through the Theatre Team. Theatre will be offering a Bursary Award in the Autumn of 2015. Details of this award will be available through the Arts Council’s website, under the Funding tab at the top of the homepage.
Also, Strand 1a of the Theatre Project award is designed to assist playwrights with the development of their plays.
No. Individuals are eligible to apply for most Arts Council schemes and awards, other than the grant programmes (Regular Funding, Annual Funding, and Annual Programming). If you apply as an individual, we will only deal with you directly, and if successful, payments will be made to you in your name, and you will be responsible for accounting for the monies offered.
The Theatre Artist Residency Scheme is designed to help theatre artists with their careers, by offering them the opportunity to base themselves at an Arts Council funded venue or arts centre for a period of up to a year. The Arts Council will contribute to the artist's remuneration. The applicant must apply in partnership with, and have the written support of, the venue in question and the local authority in which the venue lies.
As part of the strategic shift in its approach to supporting theatre, as set out in the document Supporting the Production and Presentation of Theatre, A New Approach (2010) (PDF, 63 KB) the Arts Council has reduced the number of theatre production companies it funds on a recurring basis. Given this, you are advised to apply under the Project Award. As part of the Project Award, we will consider administration costs directly linked to the production of a piece of theatre.
You can apply for the Theatre Travel and Training Award. This award is intended to enable professional theatre artists to travel to international attending festivals/events, to spend time observing international artists/companies’ work in progress and to take up an opportunity to participate in a workshop/residency/masterclass. Details of this award are available here (http://www.artscouncil.ie/Funds/Travel-and-Training-award/)
Note: applications for formal postgraduate training abroad will not be considered.
The letter of offer you receive will outline the steps required to draw down any funding offered. Whether you are applying as an individual, a company or partnership, you will need a tax clearance certificate and a bank account in the name of the applicant. Monies offered cannot be paid by the Arts Council to an account in a name other than that of the applicant. You will be asked to complete an Awards Report Form and submit an Income and Expenditure account before you can drawdown the final portion of your award.
Each award and scheme has its own set of guidelines. Within the guidelines document in each case, the process for assessing and adjudicating on applications is set out under Section 3, Processing and assessment of applications. For general information about the Arts Council's mission and overall strategy, we advise that you look at the Arts Council's Strategic Statement, (PDF, 0.44MB).
On account of the large volume of applications we receive across all artforms, the assessment and decision-making process usually takes about ten to twelve weeks.
Yes, if you email aine.kelly@artscouncil.ie, we will send you a copy of your assessment.
Yes, in certain circumstances, but you must contact the Theatre team in advance to clarify if you are eligible to do so.
- Missing the deadline
- No supporting material
- No budget template
- No letters of support or MOUs (Memorandum of Understanding)
- Insufficient evidence of financial support from other sources
- Insufficient evidence of collaborators or partners
- Lack of clear detail about what is proposed and how it will be achieved
Unfortunately due to time constraints the Theatre team is not in a position to meet with individuals other than in exceptional circumstances. However, you can email or phone us any time with questions and we will get back to you as soon as possible and do our best to assist. However, you are advised to look at the Arts Council website first, where most standard questions about the application process can be answered, and where there is information about all available funding.