If you are a writer, please write us a letter no longer than one and a half pages long, telling us:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your letter, as stated above, should be no longer than one and a half pages and should give us an impression of who you are, what you want to write about and the level of financial support you are seeking (including how you have decided upon that amount).  For those who want help buying a new laptop we will usually award £800 and overall we will not usually award more than £5,000.

 

You should also send your CV, which should be a true and accurate reflection of your working life to date, both in terms of your writing and in terms of other work.  We don’t need you to dazzle us, we just need an accurate picture of where you are now and how you’ve got here.  Your CV should clearly state what you have written and where it has been produced.  If you also do other things, such as direct or act you should list these separately and ensure that the nature of your involvement in each project you list is clear.

 

We support musical book writers and lyricists as well as writers of straight plays.  We also support writers who write theatre for families and young people.  We do not support writers who write solely for media other than theatre.  We do not support composers.

 

On a separate sheet of paper please let us have answers to the following questions:

 

• What was the title of the first play of yours which was professionally produced (i.e. with a cast of professional actors and a paying audience)?

 

• When and where was this play produced (name(s) of venue and producer, if the two are distinct)?

 

• What is the running time of this play?  We do require that you have had a play professionally produced of at least an hour's duration.

 

• How long was the run of this production (how many weeks and how many performances per week)? For these purposes we generally do not consider one off performances or workshop presentations.

 

• What is the title of your most recent professionally produced play (if different from above)?

 

• When and where was this play produced (name(s) of venue and producer, if the two are distinct)?

 

• If the play that you are currently writing (the one that you need our financial help in order to write) could be produced anywhere, where would you like to see it produced?

 

Finally, on a cover sheet let us have the following details:

• Your name (including pen name, if different)
• Address
• Email address
• Nationality
• The country in which you are tax resident
• Your National Insurance or other tax identification number
• Date of birth
• Bank account details (sort code and account number).

 

We need this information to comply with reporting obligations and so we know where to pay your grant if you are successful.  You can find more details regarding how we use and protect your information in our Privacy Policy

 

We will not accept more than one application from you in any 18 month period and other than in exceptional circumstances will not make more than three grants to you.

 

We aim to make a decision on applications within three months of receipt and are often able to do so more quickly.  We do receive far more applications than we have funds to support so we do sometimes have to make difficult decisions about who to support and cannot give a grant to everyone who meets our qualifying criteria.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So the checklist for what you should be sending us is as follows:

 

• Cover sheet, with the details above

• Your application letter, not more than one and a half pages long
• If you would like to, up to a page of attributed press quotes
• Your CV
• Answers to the seven questions above
• Your application should be sent to the postal or email address on the Contact page of the website.

 

We give money to theatre writers in order to afford them the time and the space to write.

 

We only support writers resident in the British Isles and who have had at least one production produced in the British Isles which meets the qualifying production requirements set out below.

• A little about what you have written before

 

• A little about what you are writing now, which should include details of the specific project for which you need the time and space and why you need money in order to be able to write (e.g. to pay the rent,  buy a laptop,  cover what would normally be your salary from temping…etc.)

 

• If you would like to include up to a page of brief attributed press quotes for previous productions, that is helpful, but certainly not essential.  Please don’t send us full reviews or scripts.

 

• If you need money to cover production costs or a workshop or a reading or to pay for a dramaturg, please don’t write to us.

 

• If you are a director or a producer writing on behalf of a writer, please don’t write to us.

 

• Please only write to us if you are a writer who needs the time and the space to write.