These commissions, supported by funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, recognise that artists from the Global Majority, Deaf and disabled artists, and artists from working-class backgrounds are underrepresented in contemporary theatre – and addresses this underrepresentation.

CPT acknowledges the significant barriers to professional participation in theatre, particularly post-Covid-19, for many artists, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds.

What they’re looking for:

• New work: new ideas, or projects still at the early work-in-progress stage
• Work that reflects CPT’s focus on current social, political or cultural concerns
• Bold, unconventional and innovative work, that takes the artform in new directions
• Devised, self-made and/or solo work
• Please bear in mind, they are unlikely to consider ‘plays’ as traditionally understood, ‘new writing’, formally conventional work, straight monologues, or any work made according to the usual writer-director-actor hierarchies. They cannot accept scripts with your application.

What they’re offering:

• £1000 seed commission
• One week’s R&D space in spring (May/June) or summer (July-Sept) 2023
• A performance at a CPT scratch night between June and October 2023
• Dedicated producing support from CPT’s in-house producer
• Connection to a network of commissioned artists
• Mentoring from CPT team; marketing support in advance of public performances; technical support; support with access needs where required
• Ongoing development opportunities. CPT hopes seed commissions will lead to longer-term relationships with artists, and has funds allocated to support this.

Deadline

10am on Monday 30th January 2023.

Seed Commissions for Artists from Underrepresented Backgrounds | Camden Peoples Theatre (cptheatre.co.uk)