EMERGING THEATRE DIRECTOR’S BURSARY 2011

Call for applications.

The Gordon Institute for Performing and Creative Arts (GIPCA), the Theatre Arts Admin Collective and the Baxter Theatre Centre are calling for applications for the 2011 Emerging Theatre Director’s Bursary.

The Bursary is specifically designed for emerging theatre directors who have had some experience in directing, with a passion to launch a career as a theatre director. It offers an emerging theatre director a mentor, a small budget, a month’s rehearsal space and a week of performance at the Theatre Arts Admin Collective venue in Observatory.

Previous winners of the Bursary include Amy Jephta (Kitchen), Tara Louise Notcutt (Between you & me) and Asanda Phewa (Enter the Maids).

“It can be relatively difficult for a young person to crack this market. This bursary is therefore a vital, important and much needed contribution to the state of theatre in Cape Town,” said Jephta. “As someone who has now run three seasons of independent work in Cape Town, it is incredibly difficult and very lonely, and this was an excellent opportunity to get to make work and rely on the support of a team which is in place to help make the show happen,” said Notcutt.

“It is so wonderful to have been a part of this harrowing initiative,” said Phewa. “Too often, when we try to name fresh talent in this particular stream, there is a pause that is too loud to ignore,” she added.

2011 is again offering two Emerging Theatre Directors Bursaries for the 2011 season. Bursary 1 will run from April 11 to May 14, and Bursary 2 from July 4 to August 6. Winners of the respective bursaries will be given a platform to write, direct, cast and perform their plays over these respective times, under the mentorship of the Theatre Arts Admin Collective, with technical assistance from the Baxter Theatre Centre.

The Emerging Theatre Director’s Bursary is part of the GIPCA Directors and Directing month in July, and both awardees will have the opportunity to talk about their work in the three-day colloquium that takes place during that month.

Emerging directors wishing to be considered for these bursaries must submit a one-page creative proposal, CV and indication of which of the dates they would prefer to attend, to artsadmin@mweb.co.za by February 25 2011. The Bursary winners will be announced on March 4, 2011.