Deadline: 24-Jul-25
The Arts Council is seeking applications for Theatre Project Award to support the development, generation, creation making and/or presenting of theatre to audiences.
The award is open to professional artists and organisations with a demonstrable track record in theatre practice, in collaboration with artists and/or in partnership with existing theatre organisations, arts centres or festivals, where that partnership is additional to, and separate from, that organisations core activity.
Types of Strands
- Strand 1: Play Development:
- The objective of the Play Development strand is to enable the development of a new play or performance text, in which the playwright is central to the creative process. This could be an application by the playwright themselves or an application by a third party who proposes to commission and support the development of the new play text for performance.
- Strand 2: Theatre Creation:
- The objective of the Theatre Creation strand is to enable the devising of ideas for new work in a collaborative and interdisciplinary context where the playwright may or may not be the centre of the process. The emphasis of the award is on innovation, experimentation and collaboration. The concept behind a proposal can be non-text-based or based on a piece of new writing for the theatre, a pre-existing dramatic text, an adaptation from another literary form, or a translation or adaptation of a text from another language. The objective of the award is to enable the development of ideas over time through collaboration without the requirement to present to audiences.
- Strand 3: Theatre Presentation:
- The objective of the Theatre Presentation strand is the presentation of new theatre work to audiences. This can be the presentation of new plays by a single author, or innovative, collaborative and/or experimental work, or a new production of a pre-existing text. The concept behind a proposal can be a piece of new writing, collaborative piece, non-text-based, a pre-existing dramatic text, an adaptation from another literary form, or a translation or adaptation of a text from another language.
- Strand 4: Theatre Production:
- The objective of the Theatre Production strand is to enable the presentation ofambitious mid- to large-scale professional theatre productions by artists and/or producing entities with a demonstrable track record in the production of theatre for audiences on a nationwide basis.
Funding Information
- Strand 1: Play Development:
- The amount available under Strand 1 is up to 15,000
- Strand 2: Theatre Creation:
- The amount available under Strand 2 is up to 26,000.
- Strand 3: Theatre Presentation:
- The amount available under Strand 3 is up to 80,000.
- Strand 4: Theatre Production:
- The amount available under Strand 4 is up to 175,000
Ineligible Activities
- You may not apply for more than one project award in any artform/arts practice area in any one round of funding e.g. the same applicant cannot apply for a Theatre Project Award and a Music Project Award in the same round. Activities and costs that you may not apply for include the following:
- Activities that have already taken place or which will have commenced before 1 January 2026
- Major capital purchases
- Ongoing core costs
- Activities or costs that do not fit the purpose of the award (or strand of the award) that you are applying for Production or presentation costs
- Activities that are more suited to another award funded by the Arts Council or operated by other state agencies, such as Culture Ireland
- Activities by registered charities that are for fundraising for other organisations
- Activities that are for participating in a competition
- Activities that are for profit-making
- Activities that have already been assessed by the Arts Council, unless you demonstrate that you have further developed the proposal since previously applying or if the Council has specifically advised you to redirect your application to this award.
- Projects that involve the touring of existing productions
- The development of work that is not clearly separate from, and additional to, the work of organisations already being supported through other Arts Council funding (e.g. Strategic Funding, Arts Centre Funding).
Eligibility Criteria
- The award is open to professional artists and organisations working in theatre who are resident or based in Republic of Ireland.
- As part of its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, the Arts Council is committed to offering equality of access, opportunity and outcomes to all potential applicants regardless of their:
- Gender
- Sexual orientation
- Civil or family status
- Religion
- Age
- Disability
- Race
- Membership of the Traveller community
- Socio-economic background.
Ineligibility Criteria
- Applicants who cannot apply include the following:
- Organisations currently in receipt of funding under the following Arts Council programmes: Strategic Funding, Arts Centre Funding, Partnership Funding though the involvement of such organisations as partners is welcome
- Organisations or individuals that have been awarded 2026 Arts Grant Funding1
- Members of the Council of National Cultural Institutions directly funded by the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport
- Individuals or organisations that do not have a demonstrable track record as professional artists or organisations
- Individuals currently in undergraduate education (including those undertaking foundation courses) or who will be during the period for which this award is offered
- Individuals seeking support towards fees for postgraduate (including unaccredited)/higher education or study
For more information, visit The Arts Council.