Arts and Cultural Funding Program

Incubator – NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship

The Almighty Sometimes

This grant supports NSW artists, practitioners, and arts and cultural workers to undertake professional development programs or significant opportunities to support their personal, creative and career advancement.

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Key information

  • Status: Closed
  • Grant amount: $30,000
  • Application opened: 20 August 2021
  • Application closed: 16 September 2021, 5:00 pm

Program objective

This program aims to: 

  • develop the practice of emerging theatre practitioners in NSW 
  • connect emerging artists in the early stages of their career with established artists 
  • support intergenerational knowledge and experience within the theatre industry 
  • ensure the culture and legacy of the NSW Theatre industry is supported and preserved.

4 emerging theatre practitioners in the early stages of their career will be selected for a three-month residency at Griffin Theatre Company, and will undertake creative development of new work and professional mentorship with the company. The shortlisted applicants will explore their project with input and support from Griffin to challenge and expand their practice.

At the completion of the three months, the Fellowship recipient will be selected from the shortlist and be awarded $30,000 and undertake a self-directed program of professional development.

Incubator – NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship is part of a suite of Create NSW Creative Leadership opportunities. The objective of this Fellowship –  delivered in partnership with Griffin Theatre Company, is to support artist development across the theatre industry in NSW.

About Griffin Theatre Company

Griffin is the only theatre company in the country entirely devoted to new Australian plays. Located in the historic SBW Stables Theatre, nestled in the heart of bustling Kings Cross, Griffin has been a permanent home for the exploration of Australian stories since 1978. Many of this country’s most beloved and celebrated artists started out on Griffin Theatre's stage—Cate Blanchett, Michael Gow, Alma De Groen, David Wenham, to name a few—and iconic Australian plays like The Boys, Holding the Man and City of Gold had their world premieres at Griffin, before going out to capture the national imagination. 

Image: Griffin Theatre The Almighty Sometimes Photo Brett Boardman

This program is funded and administered by Create NSW.

Eligibility

Who can apply

To be eligible to submit for Incubator – NSW Theatre (Emerging) Fellowship, you need to meet the following three criteria:

1. Applicant type 

  • an Australian citizen or
  • an Australian permanent resident or
  • a group located in Australia with Australian citizen or permanent resident members and
  • a current resident of NSW.

If applying as an individual:

  • you can apply with no ABN but if successful will be required to either
    • obtain an Individual/Sole Trader ABN
    • engage a Funds Administrator.

If applying as a Group, you can provide: 

  • a members’ Individual/Sole Trader ABN
  • a Partnership ABN
  • an Unincorporated Entity ABN.

All other ABN’s are ineligible, including Company/Incorporated Association ABN’s. 

2. Arts practice

You are an emerging artist or arts theatre practitioner.

3. Career stage
You must self-identify as an emerging theatre practitioner and an emerging professional practitioner is defined as:

  • being in their first five years of practice
  • a commitment to arts and cultural work as a major aspect of their working life (even if this work is not the main source of your/their income)
  • a degree of training, experience or manner of working that allows your/their work to be assessed against the highest practiced standards in the relevant artform or discipline.
     

Who can’t apply

You are ineligible to apply for the Incubator Fellowship if:

  • your project or program has already started, taken place or due to be completed before the funding period starts
  • you are applying on behalf of an organisation
  • you have received funding from Create NSW for the same project
  • you are applying for filmmaking, screen production, mainstream animation or film festivals (see screen.nsw.gov.au for funding opportunities in this area).

 

What can’t you apply for

Funding is not available to support:

  • accredited study, training or university courses or education programs
  • fundraising, awards or prize money
  • the purchase of musical instruments, artworks or vehicles
  • loan repayments
  • the cost of plans, feasibility studies or architectural drawings.

 

Most recent recipients

What your application needs to include

Before you start your application, check you:

  • meet the fellowship program timeframes
    • the fellowship must be completed within a 2 year period
  • meet the 2 assessment criteria
    • merit
    • impact
  • have the required support material
  • meet the ABN requirements.

 

1

Prepare your application

Your application needs to include

  • an overview of your practice
  • a rationale of the theatre work proposed
  • information on how this fellowship opportunity will benefit you at this stage of your career
2

Address the assessment criteria

Merit Criteria

  • What is your fellowship’s vision and artistic rationale?
  • What are the key objectives of your project and how do they demonstrate excellence?
  • Who are the key Fellowship personnel and partners (if applicable)?
    • you will need to include their CVs or biographies.
  • Quality and reputation of previous works. You will need to provide:
    • samples of work
    • confirmation letters and/or letters of support

Impact Criteria

  • Benefit to career and/or NSW audiences
  • Effective planning and use of resources
3

Supporting material

In addition, you will need to provide Supporting Material as attachments:

  • up to three examples of previous work (images, video, recordings, written material or links to websites)
  • your CV (maximum one A4 page). If you are applying as a group or partnership you must provide a biography or CV for all members of the group/partnership
  • confirmation letters and/or letters of support related to your project (provided as one document), such as from partners, venues, key sector contacts, mentors and/or collaborators or other funding agencies.

After the application is submitted

Successful applications will be decided by: Minister for the Arts.

Confirmation

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive an email confirmation from our secure online grants system, SmartyGrants.

Create NSW has the discretion to accept late applications only where it would not compromise the integrity and competitiveness of the process.

Assessment

Applications are assessed by a sub-Committee made up of members of the Create NSW Theatre and Musical Theatre Artform Boards and representatives from Griffin Theatre Company against the published assessment criteria. 

The applications will be assessed and both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified.

Support and contact

Phone:  (02) 9228 4578 

Email: arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au

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