The Wyllie Longmore Award is for Early Career Theatre Artists* based within Greater Manchester. The Award will provide a meaningful and bespoke funded learning experience, for people who would otherwise face barriers accessing the highest level theatre training, networks and opportunities in the region. Over 12 months the successful theatre artist will participate in a learning experience to enable the highest level of potential and excellence in their discipline, as well as building a foundation for their practise long term. They will work with leading artists and organisations in the region.

Wyllie Longmore died in January 2023. The Award is in memory of the lifetime commitment Wyllie had for nurturing talent; sharing the highest quality learning; offering time & support to enable others to succeed in theatre; and always acting with integrity and care for the art-form and people he worked with.

This opportunity is open to individuals who identify as theatre artists- nominated by an organisation or group. The Wyllie Longmore Award is launched and delivered by some of Manchester’s cultural organisations and leaders who have benefitted from and been inspired by Wyllie in his lifetime.

These organisations include:
– Contact Theatre
– Factory International
– HOME Manchester
– Odd Arts
– Royal Exchange Theatre

Eligibility

• *‘Theatre Artists’ covers a number of disciplines (such as actors, directors, dramaturgs, stage
  managers etc). These individuals should also:
  • Be currently living and making work in Greater Manchester
  • Have between three and five years of professional practice – We understand that
    people’s careers and experience may not be linear
  • Be otherwise unable to access similar opportunities or under-represented within the
    theatre sector.
• Individuals must be nominated by an organisation or group (for example charity/voluntary, cultural/arts/theatre, workplace, support group, college, youth club, faith group, community
  centre etc, etc). The organisation or group should get consent from the individual before nominating them.
• The Award is open to any person aged 18+.
• We are interested in nominees being people who have shown a talent, aptitude, passion and care for their practise. The nominee should be at a pivotal stage in their career, with examples
  of their work, but without having already had work published, performed or commissioned on mainstream stages. Smaller commissions achieved (below £2500) would not make someone ineligible.
• We are looking for applications for nominees currently under-represented in the industry or facing barriers of access arising from social, gender, financial, ethnic, lived experience, cultural, geographic or educational disadvantage or disability.

The successful recipient will receive a 12 day programme of activity over 12 months; and £1500 towards their time to take part in the activity. The programme of learning will be delivered &
enabled by the Wyllie Longmore Award (WLA) partnership organisations (detailed below). The activity provided through the programme will be co-designed by the recipient and the WLA
partnership to ensure it is bespoke and provides the best learning experience; and could include any of the below aspects (not all):

• 1-2-1 mentoring or advice sessions with cultural and art-form leaders
• Opportunity to follow the rehearsal room process for a production
• Access to space for personal development, honing craft or rehearsals
• Mentoring and supervision
• Training
• Free ticket membership
• Board level insight and training
• Hot-desking space at leading cultural organisations, to build networks and learn from teams
• Feedback from experienced practitioners on their own practise
• Behind the scenes access to the development of new theatre work in our city
• Participation in R&D with partner organisations and artists

Deadline 

5pm 28th Sept 2023

Nominees will be invited to attend an informal interview with a panel. We will be able to support access needs required to make this interview possible. Within the interview we are mainly
interested in finding out about the artist’s work and aspirations, and how they feel a 12 month funded learning opportunity like this would be most beneficial to them, as well as how it will
enable them to make a step-change in their career or practise. The judging panel will be made up of a diverse team of people from the partnering organisations, including cultural leaders. It will also include a member of Wyllie Longmore’s family.

How to donate

If you would like to donate to the Wyllie Longmore Award please visit the donation page via this link https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/24198

In 2023/24, donations will provide:

• Additional resources for the awarded nominee (set/room hire/transport costs etc)
• The potential for additional nominees to receive funding
• The opportunity for some continuation funding for nominees, where appropriate
• We will publish the amount of donations received and what the funding has been used for. Odd Arts is holding the donation and will ensure any donations are restricted funds for the purpose of The Wyllie Longmore Award.

https://issuu.com/oddarts/docs/wyllie_longmore_award_?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ