There has been some positive news this week with many of Liverpool's Arts organisations and venues receiving support grants from The Arts Council. Here's hoping they will be able to survive through into next year.
For things a bit more closer to home, we have another week of opportunities for you to peruse, and as always, we hope some are of use.
Some rolling, some new and some still open.
WELL BEING
The Theatre Helpline is a free (from mobiles and landlines), independent
and confidential phone and email service that provides support to people working in the theatre industry. It’s open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year round
The number to call is: 0800 915 4617
Or visit https://theatrehelpline.org/ for
more information
Leading a movement against suicide. Open to all, they also have campaigns for males facing mental health struggles. Call: 0800 58 58 58. The helpline and webchat is open to all and can be accessed 5pm – Midnight every day, 365 days a year. Or visit their website here.
The British Association for Performing Arts Medicine has a range of services to help support the medical needs of those in the performing arts. From free clinics, information resources and a practitioner directory, they are a good resource if you may be struggling with any health situations.
To find out more about what they do, follow the link here.
The Film and TV Charity have a 24 hour helpline and chat service available to anyone who is struggling at this time. Their trained team can provide help and advice about legal queries, mental health and financial advice.
To find out more follow the link here.
FUNDING
Theatre
Acting For Others is a consortium of 14 member charities set up to help provide financial and emotional support to professionals within the theatre.
The Greater Manchester Artists Hub has got some great things going on at the minute. As well as private and group advisory sessions, they currently have two funds available. One is a hardship bursary and the other to support the development of a new piece of work.
The Revive fund will offer 10 GM-based creative freelancers a £500 hardship bursary along with peer networking support and a 1-1 advice session with GM Artist Hub to explore your own particular circumstances and needs.
Deadline: Midnight Sunday 25th October 2020
The Reboot fund is offering 8 grants of £1500 to support the initial development of a new piece of performance-based work over a three month period.
Deadline: Midnight Sunday 25th October 2020
Get into Theatre is a one stop shop of ways into a career in theatre. They have sections on training, experience and funding.
With information on courses and funding, this website is a useful resource whether you are a newbie to it all, or an experienced professional looking for further development.
Front of House and Backstage Workers
If you work backstage or front of house and are struggling right now then The Theatrical Guild might be a good place to look, they have set up a great resource for theatre workers at any stage of their career. It includes help with finances, funding, counselling and training. You can apply for help here, and if you aren't eligible, they will pass you onto an organisation that can help.
Playwrights and Writers
PRiSM, the RNCM Centre for Practice & Research in Science & Music, is seeking to appoint a visiting Writer for a 12-month residency period to begin in January 2021. They will be expected to undertake and original research project and contribute to the blog and give a final presentation.
The fee for successful applicants is £6000.
The Closing Date for applications is 23 October 2020.
For more details and what's involved follow the link here.
The Peggy Ramsay foundation is a charity set up to help give theatre writers the space and time to write. If you have had a play professionally produced, you can qualify for support.
To find out more details on eligibility and how to apply click here.
If you're a playwright you'll be pleased to know there is a new prize from the wonderful people at Hope Mill Theatre called Through the Mill. The winner receives £5000, and their play will be produced by the theatre. The finalists will receive on to one mentoring with Jonathon Harvey. Find out more about how to apply here.
Deadline for submissions: 27th November 2020
The Society of Authors has set up the Authors' Emergency fund.
Open to all professional authors who are resident in the UK, including writers, illustrators, literary translators, scriptwriters, poets, journalists and others. Note: those who have had ACE emergency response fund are ineligible for this grant. Find out how to apply here.
Education
Education Support as a charity who help provide effective and relevant support to all of those working in the education sector today.
They currently have grants to help those who are either working or retired from the education sector. There are a few criteria involved in applying, so we recommend reading the outline of it all here.
Radio
Are you a writer who's always been tempted by radio? The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award is open for applications. It's a £5000 bursary for a writer in the north of England who is new to writing for radio. Check it out.
Deadline to apply: 5pm on Friday 6th November 2020
Outdoor Arts
Have an outdoor show ready to book? Outdoor Arts UK have created an online directory for shows that are able to be performed in the current climate accounting for social distancing and safety measures for both artists and audiences. It’s a straightforward form to fill in, which you can do here.
Digital
Arts&Heritage have a £1000 commission available for a piece of digital work. The idea is that the work will be become their leading visual identity over the Winter months.
The web page has more detail about what the commission entails and the requirements and can be found here.
Deadline: Midnight, Sunday 25 October
Live Events
Stage Hand is the original live production welfare and benevolent fund. The have opened up applications for their Covid 19 Crew Relief Fund. If you are facing hardship and have proof of working within live events, you can apply for a grant of up to £500.
Grants will be considered to any UK crew worker who is working in the live music sector. They do not have to be PSA members. For more information and how to apply, follow the link here.
Round one closes: 17th October 2020
Music Industry
Music Support is a charity who offer support and resources for those within any area of the UK music industry suffering from mental, emotional and behavioural health disorders. Find out more.
The Association of Independent Music has opened a crisis fund for music contractors and freelance workers in the independent music industry, whose source of income has been severed without warning due to lost work in April and May as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It's an ongoing fund and you can join here to apply.
Brighter Sounds are looking to commission 6 people aged 16+ who are familiar with producing online content and love music.
With a fee of £500 the recipient will (with assistance) provided online content over a three month period.
For more information about applying, follow the link here.
Deadline: Friday 23 Oct, midday.
ORA Singers is launching an Emergency Composers’ Fund.
It is essentially a commission for £1.500 for 8 composers living in the UK to write a new choral
There is no age restriction and other than being a UK resident, there are no other entry criteria.
All eight commissions will be announced on a rolling basis throughout the next 3 months. Composers are encouraged to register as early as possible to be considered.
For more information and how to apply follow the link here.
Black Artists
Creative Debuts have established the Black Artists Grant, which is on a rolling system so there is no deadline. Once a month £1500 will be given to black artists in the UK with each artist receiving £500. If you want to put yourself forward for a grant, you can find out more about how to do that here.
D/deaf and disabled Artists
Graeae are offering free support to Deaf and disabled freelancers thanks to support from Arts Council England and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Support includes: access support for zoom meetings, purchase or loan of technology, help getting projects off the ground, and help with personal finance applications. More info here.
ArtsAdmin and Shape Arts have been co producing Unlimited since 2013, which is the worlds largest disability arts commissioning programme.
Professionally established disabled artists or companies that support disabled-led work across all artforms and who are based in England and Wales (unfortunately artists based in Scotland cannot apply for this award). Are invited to apply for commissions for up to £60,000 to fund projects.
The first stage is Expression of Interest and the portal for applications open on 1 October until 27 October 2020. For more details about the commission and the criteria follow the link here.
VISUAL
Box on the Docks are 30 unique and eye-catching 'boxes' that have been installed outside MediaCity’s restaurants, winding through the gardens and along the waterfront.
They are commissioning artists and designers in Salford and Greater Manchester as they extend the project into the festive season with Box on the Docks at Christmas!
To read and download about how to submit a proposal follow the link here.
FEE: £1000 max per structure including materials and installation
Deadline to apply: 5pm on Friday 6th November 2020.
VARIOUS
The Responsa Foundation curates contemporary art projects exploring our intolerance to others. They support projects by either inviting artists to partake in projects, or funding proposals submitted by artists.
The Foundation's objective is, 'promote the belief that the history of intolerance repeats itself. By producing art that people engage with, we can find ways of exploring this difficult subject matter together and get it out there.'
If you are an artist who feels passionately about this, or is interested in creating work exploring these themes, you can find out more information about the foundation and their application guidelines here.
RESOURCES/TRAINING
Paines Plough have launched Re:Assemble, which is a professional development programme aimed at challenging and evolving existing dramaturgical systems and practice. Held online, with a potential three day retreat (Covid dependant) it will be a peer-led programme with contributions from guest practitioners.
For more information about the programme including the application pack, click here.
Open Hire is a new initiative set up by Josh Roche and Derek Bond. It is about opening up the approach of hiring freelancers, and making it a more fair and transparent process.
It is asking theatres to sign up the the Open Hire guidelines, and make this a new way of working.
You can find out about the scheme here.
You can sign up to find out about jobs here.
The guys at Equity have put together a financial guide for all things Covid related. It includes things such as how the government financial schemes work, but how to apply for benefits and how to get help.
It may be of use, and you can read it here.
Screen Skills have a range of opportunities and resources available to those interested in the Film and TV industry.
Ranging from free zoom events, study modules and training courses, there is plenty to have a look at. you can do so here
One of the things to happen during the lockdown was the creation of the Freelancer Taskforce. It involved many people doing sterling work to champion the plight of freelancers. (We had some great representatives in Liverpool supported by the Everyman and Playhouse.)
Co-founders of the blog The Uncultured, Ashleigh Bowmott and Laura Sweeney were members of the taskforce and have created a document, which is a really interesting read. It reflects upon how organisations can help with supporting freelancers and gives great food for thought.
The blog itself is also worth checking out as they offer support for bid writing and one to one consultations.
Dance4 are offering a self led course of Free webinars to help lead you through the key elements of business planning.
The first one begins on Tuesday 20th October and they continue for the next three Tuesdays.
For more information about the course and further mentoring opportunities follow the link here.
The Octagon Bolton currently have a range of online writing workshops for only £7 each. There are three available with playwrights Juliet Gilkes Romero and Sarah McDonald-Hughes.
MENTORS AND MENTEES!
Arts Emergency offer mentoring and networking opportunities to young people looking to get started in a career in the creative industries.
Mentors work voluntarily with a young person over the course of a year, meeting monthly to set goals, explore higher education, creative projects and careers.
If you feel you have something to offer and are interested in becoming a mentor, you can find out more information here, including about the training process.
Aged between 16-25 and looking for guidance and advice from an industry professional? To apply to get a mentor, follow the link here.
The deadline to apply is midnight Sunday 18 October.
Manchester based artist?
Seen a show at The Royal Exchange?
If so then joining the Open Exchange may be a help. An online community designed to connect other local artists and offer resources and training opportunities, you can check it out here in more detail, to see how it could help you.
Collective Creative Initiative is a project created by the people behind Pearson Casting.
A fantastic project, it is in essence, a bucket load of FREE resources for everyone consisting of 30 hours of online classes and workshops. All webinars are free and fully funded until December 1st 2020.
To check it out and see what webinars, online classes and Q&A's are happening and how to access them, follow the link here.
If you work within the arts sector, or certainly have a professional interest, you may find Arts Professionals a good place to find content.
It has sections on Jobs, News and Professional Development.
Out on the page is a place of support and connection for LGBTQ+ writers.
It offers many resources including Writing Retreats, Networking, Information sharing, Q&As with established LGBTQ+ writers and Online Events.
You can find more information about them, and a list of what events are happening here.
The Bruntwood Prize have published a fantastic toolkit for anyone who wants to make a start or develop their practice with writing a play. Check it out.
That's us for this week!
But see you in seven days, for another round. We hope you found some useful information you can use, or send to a friend.
MFTA x
Heard about a great opportunity, or have an opportunity to offer?
You can let us know by sending us a email - info@marchforthearts.com
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