A new dance piece about Moshing. A dark play about a murder in County Waterford. A lighting installation on Helvick Pier. A tie-up between Waterford Youth Arts and the UK’s National Theatre. These are amongst the projects that received funding under Waterford City & County Council’s ’s Arts Practice and Venue Grants for 2023.
The Grants were passed at Waterford Council’s plenary meeting on February 9th in Dungarvan following a workshop earlier in January on the recommendations of the independent Panel that met in November.
A total of €90,000 went to artists and arts organisations. A total of €170,500 to venues – a 10percent increase to help with additional costs to utilities brought about largely by the war in Ukraine.
There was a total of 47 applications across all categories compared to 30 for 2022. In the specialist side of the Arts Practice Grants five were for Playwright & Producer (up from just one) and three for Screenwriter & Producer (down from five in 2022). These categories have a two phase process with the second part to be adjudicated and awarded in late Spring.
The grants followed closely the relevant actions under the current Arts Strategy’s three themes:
Participation & Access
Support for Artists
Identity and Place
The grants were adjudicated under the 6 categories:
- Rural Arts Grants
- Amateur/Voluntary Arts Grants
- Professional Project Arts Grants
- Playwright & Producer team grant (Stage 1)
- Screenwriter & Producer team grants (Stage 1)
- Arts Venue Grants
| Amateur/Voluntary Arts grants | 2023 Grant |
| De La Salle Scout Pipe band, C/O Pat Murphy. Annual programme | €1,650 |
| City Of Waterford Brass band C/O Michael Doody, Annual programme | €1,650 |
| Dungarvan Brass Band C/O William Dee, Annual programme | €1,650 |
| Barrack Street Concert Band, Annual programme | €1,650 |
| Thomas Francis Meagher Band C/O Aoife Murphy, Annual programme | €1,650 |
| Symphony Club of Waterford programme | €3,000 |
| Notable Works – Choral producers | €1,000 |
| Waterford Music Club programme | €3,000 |
| Traces Dance Ensemble Dance – (with Garter Lane) | €3,500 |
| Professional Programme Grants | 2023 Grant |
| James Power, Stagemad Play: ‘Mid Term Break’ | €1,500 |
| Jenna Whelan/GOMA : ‘Drawing Reconnection’ GOMA studio artists programme and exhibition. | €7,500 |
| Waterford Youth Arts : Project with London’s National Theatre via the its Connections programme | €7,500 |
| Waterford Healing Arts: Open Gallery – a dementia inclusive art project | €7,500 |
| Little Red Kettle : Interactive schools programme. | €5,250 |
| Martina Collender : towards further research for ‘A Silent Message’ play | €1,000 |
| Rachel ní Bhraonáin : ‘Mosh’ developing and devising a new performance piece based around the ‘moshing’ phenomenon of ‘metal’ and rock band audiences. | €4,000 |
| ‘A Little Room’ Theatre Development Co. : Towards the ground breaking programme of this organization that enables the development of artistic performance pieces. | €3,000 |
| Playwright & Producer Team Grant (Phase 1) | 2023 Grant |
| Derek Flynn: ‘The Midnight Hotel’ – a crime mystery play. | €1,500 |
| Eamonn Dolan: ‘Deise Dandy’ A Play – Old Ireland clashes with today’s Ireland in this black comedy. | €1,500 |
| Katie Honan: a new one-person play taking its inspiration. from the novel ‘Lord of the Flies’. | €1,500 |
| Mary Grehan: ‘Feral’ – set in rural, contemporary Waterford against the backdrop of the feral goat population in Passage. | €1,500 |
| Nicola Spendlove: ‘Flat’ a play about two people with issues exploring how the world treats them very differently because of their backgrounds. | €1,500 |
| Pat Daly: ‘Paddy’s Gestapo’ set during WW2 charting the journey of 2 young Waterford men whose attempt to escape the war involving an elaborate ruse that backfires. | €1,500 |
| ++Screenwriter & Producer Team Grant (Phase 1) | 2023 Grant |
| Screenwriter Luke Corcoran: ‘Millennial Prophet’ film. | €500 |
| Darina Clancy : The 2nd in the series of Cois Móire films based on the River Suir to the Sea. | €500 |
| Oonagh Quinn & Gillian Gratton – ‘Baby’s Last Ride’ a short film. | €500 |
| Playwright & Producer Team Grant (Phase 2) TBA Q2 (3X €1500) | €4500 |
| Screenwriter & Producer Team Grant (Phase 2) TBA Q2 (2X €5,500) | €11,000 |
| TOTAL | €90,000 |
| Venue | 2023 Grant |
| Garter Lane | €72,600 |
| •Theatre Royal | €72,600 |
| Coastguard Cultural Centre | €12,100 |
| GOMA Gallery | €13,200 |
| TOTAL | €170,500 |
