Theatre projects 2006/07

Drama project funding

A second round of theatre projects to be produced and presented in Scotland in 2006/07 have been announced.  The decisions for this biannual funding round were made on 15 March.

This group of awards demonstrates a wide geographical spread of work to areas beyond the Central Belt that are not currently served by core-funded theatres. The target audience profile of the projects is very wide, with work for children, families, young people and people who do not usually attend arts events and covers a broad range of styles, from physical theatre to street arts.

The successful applications were marked out by high levels of commitment from the venues and promoters and clearly demonstrated a dedication to creating work of the highest quality.

The projects also reflect the commitment of Scottish companies to the development of artform practice and new writing.

This was a particularly difficult funding round where the majority of applications were of very high quality. Regrettably, limited funds and high demand meant that we were only able to offer awards to a limited number of projects.

The awards

• £68,883 for Communicado for Fergus Lamont, to be adapted by Gerry Mulgrew from Robin
  Jenkins’ novel. A satire about the Scottish psyche set around the events of WW1 and its
  aftermath.  We considered that supporting this production would help to ensure that a broad
  range of work is available.
• £47,292 for Dudendance for When Droopy Met Hal, an international co-production with
  award-winning German company Fabrik.  A physical theatre piece with film about a mysterious
  stranger who changes the life of a woman and her sinister butler.  This was supported as the
  work-in-progress was of good quality, we thought that the creative team had a strong track record
  and the piece was based on a genuinely interesting idea which would help to develop the artform.
  proven demand across a wide geographic spread.
• £63,000 for Grid Iron for Once Upon A Dragon translated by Rino Vergano from the Dutch play
  by Pauline Mol.  This is a site specific co-production with Children’s International Theatre Festival,
   combining myths of European fairytales from Grimm to Perrault, targeted at 4-6 year olds. We
  considered that the production was likely to be of high quality given the company’s track record
  and appreciated that this genre of work for this age group is undeveloped in this country.
  Imaginate’s involvement will help to ensure that the project is suitable for the target audience.
• £35,195 for the macrobert for Risk.  New drama/dance piece about why young people are drawn
  to danger, to be produced by the macrobert, YDance, Company of Angels and the Tron.  The
  piece will be developed with different groups of young people and targeted at 14+.  We supported
  this project as we considered that the work was likely to be of good quality and that this project
  would help to ensure a broad range of work is available.
• £28,526 for Oceanallover for Yararacusu. A physical theatre/street arts piece with live music,
  including a carnyx, with most performances outdoors.  This is based on a story by Argentinean
  Horacio Quiroga about life and death and the aftermath of a fatal snake bite.  Local people in each
  venue will act as a chorus. This was supported as the work-in-progress was of very high quality,
  the creative team has a good track record and the piece is likely to appeal to a very wide audience
  (including people who do not usually attend arts events).
  

£30,188 for Random Accomplice for Something Wicked  A black comedy of three sisters bound together by the death of their mother. A company devised piece exploring themes of women, witchcraft, sibling rivalry, motherhood and death. This was supported as the work-in-progress was of good quality and this will help to ensure a range of work is available. Additionally, this tour will help a relatively new company to develop and establish relationships with promoters and audiences.

• £63,000 for Vanishing Point for Subway, a co-production with the Tron.  A futuristic political thriller where people live long lives and illnesses are traded on the black market, exploring issues of terrorism and redemption.  This will be presented as a work-in-progress then developed further to a full-scale touring production. We recognised the excellent track record of the company and the creative team and considered that this project is imaginative and likely to be of high quality.  We also noted that the project has proven demand and considered the supportive relationship with the Tron to be an additional strength.

Notes

Budget for this decision round was £336,084 and the total requested was £1,067,046 by twenty three companies. 

The decision was made by the Head of Drama, with the advice of Scottish Arts Council Specialist Advisors Nick Fearne, Sally Hobson, Ace McCarron, Steve Slater and Drama Officers.