About the Early Years Festive Theatre Commission
We are inviting proposals from individual artists, producers or companies, based in Scotland, to create and produce three festive productions to be staged in The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, Studio in Edinburgh, and at Eden Court in Inverness.
Aberdeen Performing Arts, Capital Theatres and Eden Court Highlands are inviting proposals from individual artists, producers or companies, based in Scotland, to create and produce three festive productions to be staged in The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen, Studio in Edinburgh, and at Eden Court in Inverness.
All three productions will be produced and presented in 2021, one per venue, and each production will be restaged in 2022 and 2023, therefore playing at all three venues over the three-year period.
We are looking to create engaging, accessible productions which address the following criteria. The production should:
- Be created for early years audiences, suitable for attendance by family groups and nursery/school groups (age recommendation of under 7 years).
- Have a theme suitable to the time of year – e.g. Christmas, festive, winter etc.
- Last 35-45 minutes.
- Be designed to be staged in a studio theatre setting, incorporating audience seating for a capacity of 60 within the staging.
- Be fully accessible and suitable for a range of audiences including those with disabilities and/or additional sensory or communication needs.
We are open-minded to the approach and will accept individual proposals for a single production, or a single proposal to create all three productions. Proposals should allow for simultaneous rehearsal and performance as the dates will be broadly similar in each of the three locations, therefore it will not be possible for all three productions to involve the same team.
There will be a budget of up to £30,000 per production available to create and stage each piece in 2021. We anticipate a reduced budget for subsequent years to cover restaging and running costs only. The budget should include the costs of creative team and performers, set design and build, stage and production management, transport, travel and any other production costs. The venues will provide rehearsal space and one member of their technical team to support the production through tech week and the run. Marketing, graphic design and print costs will be covered by the venues, as will any front of house or other venue costs.
Each production will open in early December and run for up to three weeks prior to Christmas.
All three organisations are committed to improving diversity and representation in our industry, and so we positively encourage and welcome applications from those who represent diverse and under-represented backgrounds.
Submissions are open now and must be submitted by Monday 6 September 2021. Find out more details on how to apply here.
