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Theatre Projects

The program supports professional theatrical exploration, creation, development, production and presentation, regardless of theatrical tradition, as well as initiatives that benefit the Ontario professional theatre community.

Offered by Ontario Arts Council (OAC)

Amount

Creation: maximum $5,000; Creation in Residence: maximum $10,000; Development Workshops: maximum $15,000; Productions: maximum $20,000; Festivals/Initiatives: maximum $15,000 (the OAC will not fund 100 per cent of a project except in the Creation and Creation in Residence categories)

Quick eligibility check

Years in business
No minimum stated
Employees
No limit stated
Revenue
No limit stated
Legal structure
Sole proprietor, non-profit, other
Location
Ontario

Who can apply

  1. professional theatre artists who are residents of Ontario
  2. ad hoc groups and collectives composed of a majority of Ontario residents
  3. not-for-profit organizations based in Ontario that produce or present professional theatre
  4. organizations must have a head office in Ontario

Read the Guide to OAC Project Programs for more eligibility information.

Eligible projects must:

  1. in the Development Workshops category, include some form of public presentation.
  2. in the Development Workshops, Productions and Festivals/Initiatives categories, include a range of revenue sources, including OAC funding.

The activities for which you are requesting funding:

  1. cannot start before the deadline.
  2. cannot finish before you receive your grant results.
  3. must be completed no more than two years after you receive the grant results.

Not eligible:

Ineligible applicants

non-professional applicants

organizations that receive an OAC operating grant through one of the following programs

Theatre Organizations: Operating

Ontario Arts Operating Fund (Theatre Organizations category

organizations that receive another OAC operating grant, except organizations mandated to serve one or more OAC priority groups

municipalities, colleges and universities

What this program does not fund

events or activities that take place outside of Ontario, except for the Creation category, where events or activities taking place outside of Ontario are eligible

amateur, pre-professional or student productions or projects

activities in French (see the Théâtre – projets francophones program

tours (see Touring and Circulation Projects

major capital expenditures, including buying, leasing or renovating buildings and purchase of major equipment

About the funding

  1. Creation: maximum $5,000
  2. Creation in Residence: maximum $10,000
  3. Development Workshops: maximum $15,000
  4. Productions: maximum $20,000
Show all funding details
  1. Festivals/Initiatives: maximum $15,000

Important

:

  1. Due to the number of applications received and the limited funds available, grants awarded may be smaller than the amount requested.
  2. The OAC will not fund 100 per cent of a project except in the Creation and Creation in Residence categories. Applications in the Development Workshops, Productions and Festivals/Initiatives categories require other revenue sources, including OAC funding.
  3. Creation: contribution to the artistic fees of initial exploration and development of a theatrical project or idea, for research, exploration and experimentation.
  4. Creation in Residence: contribution to the artistic fee for a residence, with a professional not-for-profit Ontario theatre company, in playwriting or other methods of creation.
  5. Development Workshops: contribution to the costs of a workshop or similar development projects; projects must include some form of public presentation. Artists or groups invited to present their work at a festival should apply in this category or in the Productions category.
  6. Productions: contribution to the costs of single productions, including shared-production models. Artists or groups invited to present their work at a festival should apply in this category or in the Development Workshops category.
  7. Festivals/Initiatives: contribution to the costs of festivals (festival organizers apply in this category), or the costs of artists or arts professionals participating in initiatives that significantly benefit the professional theatre community at large, including presentations, series, conferences and other public forums, professional development for theatre professionals, administrative collaborations, and other activities. They cannot be related to a single production.

Eligible activities include:

  1. artistic research, exploration and experimentation
  2. playwriting and other methods of creation, either in-residence with a professional not-for-profit Ontario theatre company, or independently
  3. workshops and other development projects
  4. single productions, including shared-production models
  5. festivals, presentations and series
  6. professional development for theatre professionals, administrative collaborations, conferences and other public forums

This program also supports:

  1. childcare and other dependant care fees enabling individuals to take part in the project (this does not include regular, ongoing expenses)
  2. expenses related to making the project accessible to audience members and project participants (other than the applicant) who are Deaf or have a disability
  • Note: Applicants to this program who identify as Deaf or as having a disability may apply for supplementary funds for their own accessibility expenses through Accessibility Fund: Project Support.

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