Royal Court Theatre International Playwrights Group 2015 – Call for Applications

Apply to the Royal Court International Playwrights Group (Formerly the Royal Court International Residency). This will take place this year from the 6-24 July and we would welcome your spreading the word and recommending any emerging writers you think might be benefit from the programme. This project has evolved over the last 25 years and we are currently working in a much more focused way with between 5-7 international writers every year. Last year we had writers from Argentina, China, Germany, South Korea and South Africa.

Full details are available at the address below, and the deadline is 31 January, 2015. I send love to you and wish you all the best as we reach the end of 2014. 

http://www.royalcourttheatre.com/playwriting/international-playwriting/international-residency/

Elyse Dodgson

International Director

Royal Court Theatre

Roberto Cimetta Fund to support strengthening and sustainability of organisations and projects

In the context of international mobility and exchange of artists and cultural operators, the Roberto Cimetta Fund is launching a funding line to support strengthening and sustainability of organisations and projects. This funding line aims to promote cultural and artistic initiatives lead by Arab artists and cultural operators developing local projects (venues, networks, platforms). We hope through this fund to create a leverage effect that could contribute modestly to rebalancing forces between Arab and European components in the exchange, as well as strengthening and sustaining cultural exchange between Arab regions. The grants provided will not exceed 3000€ and can be considered as co-funding depending on the projects selected. Only artists and cultural operators from the Arab world can apply to this fund. The experts and Board members of the Roberto Cimetta Fund will monitor the selected projects during their implementation.

This call for applications is open from 1^st December 2014 for two months until 31st January 2015. The evaluation and selection processes will take place during the months of February and March 2015. The results will be announced on 1^st April 2015. Three projects at least will be selected. The funds provided must be used within two years, unless agreed otherwise.

A Steering Committee composed of representatives of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and the Roberto Cimetta Fund will meet to evaluate this first “experimental” phase and decide if it should be continued or re-defined.

The Roberto Cimetta Fund and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication hope that this fund can serve to strengthen projects that emerge following the benefits of a travel grant and at the same time support the financial autonomy of local independent cultural initiatives. 

Applications can be made in Arabic, English and French.

Eligibility criteria of this Fund and conditions for the provision of funds

The eligibility criteria and allocation conditions for the provision of funds are as follows:

   i.      Applications can be made by individuals (artist or cultural operators) or by independent organisations (only small or medium organisations whose annual budget does not exceed 20 000€. Support will not be provided to public or semi-public organisations).

ii.      The applicant (organisation or individual) must be based in the Arab geographical region. Age and nationality are not eligibility criteria of this Fund.

iii.      All contemporary artistic disciplines are eligible: performing arts, all forms of visual arts, literature, music, and cultural policy research…. This fund is specifically for artistic creation and cultural activities. Humanitarian aid or school/university projects are not eligible to this Fund. 

iv.      The project presented must explain how it will develop in the long term and contribute to local cultural development.  Sustaining a project implies any action that will allow the organisation or the action to last. For example this could be by providing a salary to an administrator, buying equipment, renovating a space, undertaking training, building networks…). Support to artistic production can be provided if the production itself can prove its “sustaining” effects. The aim of this Fund is to stabilise projects in their local environment, allowing them to establish recognition and develop their networking capacities. 

 v.   The call aims to offer funds to applicants that have difficulty finding the funding needed for their sustainable development. Proof of co-funding is recommended but not compulsory.

vi.  Special attention will be given to projects that transfer values such as respect for the diversity of cultural expressions, freedom of artistic expression, fair exchange and solidarity. Moreover, applicants must agree with the ethical charter of the Roberto Cimetta Fund. 

vii. Although open to projects from all geographic regions of the Arab world, this Fund will be particularly attentive to projects in rural or suburban areas.

viii. Eligible costs can be operational costs, costs for renovation or equipment, artistic production costs, travel or hosting costs, translation costs, etc. All expenditure must be clearly and chronologically defined in the application. If your application concerns renovation or equipment costs a pro forma invoice will be requested with the application.

ix. An agreement between the project leader and the Roberto Cimetta Fund will be drawn up if the project is selected. This agreement will clearly stipulate the aims of the project, the actions that will take place, the conditions of transfer of funds, the role of the Roberto Cimetta Fund and the monitoring process of the project.

 x. The report that will be required to obtain the final payment will be composed of a written activity report, a detailed expenditure report, proof of communication of the support of RCF and all other proof that the project has taken place (photographs, report from the various actors involved, etc.). 

xi. If the project concerns hosting the project leaders/beneficiaries abroad, or the hosting of foreign artists, it is important that the length of stay be sufficient in order for travellers to understand the local cultural context. This measure favours a proper understanding of the cultural and artistic challenges in a given local context and stresses the need to allow time to build trust between actors; for the sustainability of any artistic and cultural exchange.

xii.  Funding is directly transferred to the account of the project leader (organisation or individual) in the following way: 30% following the signing of the agreement, 50% after the intermediary report (approximately a year after the beginning of the activities), 20% after the submission of the final report and accompanying documents.  

It is possib
le to make a request online as from 1st December 2014 here. You can visit the RCF website at this address: www.cimettafund.org

2015 Festival Returns to Fort Mason — Save the Dates

THE FORT MASON CENTER AND EYES AND EARS FOUNDATION PRESENT

Support SFIAF with a Tax Deductible Donation on Giving Tuesday Dec. 2.

May 20 – June 7    2015

150 Performances, 60 Ensembles from 10 Countries

$12 EARLY BIRD TICKETS

ON SALE MARCH 1, 2015

The San Francisco International Arts Festival is thrilled to announce that in 2015 we will be moving back to the Fort Mason Center and will be co-presented by Fort Mason as part of its FMC Presents Series. The relationship gives SFIAF access to seven different venues on the Fort Mason campus and the ability to present over 150 ticketed performances by artists from the Bay Area and ten countries in the space of three action packed weeks. The Festival will also feature a major arts exhibition titled Bearing Witness: Surveillance in the Drone Age compiled by curators Matt McKinley and Hanna Regev as well as multiple educational, residency and outreach activities. 

Put us in your 2015 calendars now: March 1 to buy your tickets, May 20 Opening Night. Also, tomorrow December 2 is Giving Tuesday, please consider making a year-end tax deductible donation to the Festival. It all goes to support performances by the amazing list of artists below.

The lineup of performance artists confirmed to date for the 2015 Festival is as follows: Abada Capoeria, Abhinaya Dance Company, Āine Ryan, Allison Lovejoy, Alma del Tango, Alyce Finwall Dance Theater, Anne Bluethenthal & Dancers with MezoAmerica, Ariel Luckey, Bill Kalinkos, Bob Ernst, Cali & Co., Charline Formenty, Christine Bonansea, Compagnie Artara, Concerto Club with Gabriel Urgell Reyes, Croi Glan Integrated Dance Company, Dancing Earth, Deborah Slater Dance Theatre, devorah major with Brian Freeman and the Destiny Mohammed Trio, Diana Gameros, Eth-noh-Tec, Fogo na Roupa, Francis Wong & Tatsu Aoki with Lenora Lee, Grupo de Rompe y Raja, Horse Dance Theatre, Inferno Theatre, James Cousins Company, Jesper Arin, Kiandanda Dance Theater, Kitka Women's Vocal Ensemble, Krista DeNio Productions, La Misa Negra, La Peche, Laura Inserra, Loco Bloco, Łowiczanie Polish Folk Ensemble, Maboiuch, Madan Oak, Maria Jose Montijo, Mary Armentrout Dance Theater, Matt EL, Melody of China & Shih-yang Lee, Olga Kosterina, Project Agora, Punkkico, Sarah Cahill, The Foundry, Theatre of Yugen, tinypistol, Voodoo Cabaret and ZiRu Dance.