Successful applicants will be given:

• £1,000 seed funding commission (for the 1-week residency and scratch night performance)*

• Collaboration with specially selected individuals

• Space to rehearse and explore ideas in Cardiff

• Production support for the public scratch sharing as part of The City Socials

• Platforming and showcasing opportunities as part of The City Socials

*suggested budget is for yourself, one collaborator and any materials needed

As this programme is funded by Shared Prosperity Funding via Cardiff Council, this opportunity is only open to artists and groups based in Cardiff and the surrounding areas who are able to commute to Cardiff as the work must take place in Cardiff.

We're looking to support artists and groups who are currently working freelance and are not in full-time employment or education. We’re interested in hearing from artists and groups who want to explore how making new work that meets our ethos/ambition to support new performance that is crucial, collaborative and compelling. In your application it will be up to you to define these terms.

This project is open to anyone at any point in their career, but all applications should be focused on previously unexplored work and should align with this call-out’s values

• Crucial : What ideas and stories should we be exploring and telling right now? How can we create in response to the world around us, harnessing the power of live performance? What themes, ideas and issues need to be shared right now?

• Compelling: How will the work meet its audience? How will it challenge, entertain and introduce them to something radical, contemporary and emerging? What will compel people to engage

• Collaborative:What is co-creation to you? How can we find new ways of exploring and making that centres collaborative thinking, inclusivity and shared practice?

Three artists/groups will be short listed and the work will be shared over the course of one evening in a flexible space with standard staging. Therefore we encourage applicants to think about work that will thrive in this format and setting.

We're particularly interested in hearing from artists or groups who are typically underrepresented in the arts including marginalised identities, working class, global majority, disabled and/or neurodivergent, as well as from mid-career artists who identify with the struggle to maintain a consistent working practice.

Monday 26 May // Applications Open
Monday 7 July // Applications Closed at 10am
Thursday 10 July // Panel discussions
Friday 11 July // Applicants receive response
Wednesday 30 July // Artist meet and greet / Interviews
Monday 22- Wednesday 24 September // Rehearsals (exact times tbc)
25th September // Live Performance

We encourage you to apply in whatever way you feel most comfortable and confident. This might be in a video, audio message or by email. Whatever format you choose, please tell us in no more than 3 minutes or up to 600 words:

• Who you are and what you do (referencing the ‘who we are looking for’ section above)

• What is the idea you think should be explored right now - how and why?

• And in your own terms how is the work; Crucial, compelling and collaborative?

Please also include:

• Applicant name(s)

• Email

• Phone number

• Postcode

• And complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring form, linked below.

And confirm your availability for the following dates:

30th July, 22nd-25th September

If you would like to speak to someone about this call-out, get in touch with Justin, our Creative Producer, by emailing justincliffe@nationaltheatrewales.org.

Please send expressions of interest by 10am on Thursday 7 Julyto TEAM@nationaltheatrewales.organd complete an Equal Opportunities Monitoring form.

I’m a multi-disciplined artist, can I apply?

We are open to all forms of expression and creation, as long as they result in a live performance for an audience.

Is this opportunity for emerging artists?

The City Socials residencies are open to freelancers at any stage of their career. The important detail is that you have an urgent and/or new idea, and are open to investigating how the process and project can be open to co-creation.

Does the £1000 funding support just me, or other freelancers I might want to work with?

The funding is £1000 per residency. This includes 3 full days of rehearsal and one scratch performance. How you use this funding is dependent on the needs of your project. Working with our in-house team, we will co-develop your budget based on the overall aim of your project and the people you want to work with to make it happen. It is, however, essential that you can travel to work without incurring extra costs that extend beyond what would be standard when commuting to work.