Theatre Individual Project Funding Expert Panel comments

March 3, 2025 deadline
General Expert Panel comments

Comments made by the panel during the assessment of applications are outlined below. Please note that these comments provide a summary of the panel's assessment and do not necessarily relate to every application submitted to this deadline. The panel does not provide individual comments.

Project description

  • The panel appreciated the variety of solid applications and gave priority to proposals that clearly described the strong impacts projects would have on the artists’ own development, the audience, and/or the theatre ecology in Alberta.
  • The panel read through many proposals and appreciated those where the applicants took the time to lay out their project description in sections and in a concise and precise manner.
    • They especially appreciated when the description was succinct (3-5 pages max), with a clear main objective. The panel preferred when project descriptions included items like bullet points, graphs, and tables to help make the information easier to read.
  •  The panel valued projects in which applicants challenged themselves by exploring new dimensions of their practice, recognizing the strong potential for artistic growth.
  • The panel appreciated project descriptions that outlined the concrete steps involved in the creation process—beyond just summarizing the narrative—highlighting what the project entails from both a production management and dramaturgical perspective.
  • The panel appreciated when applicants provided a synopsis for the proposed production.
  • The panel emphasized that applicants connected to incorporated entities must clearly demonstrate a focus on individual artistic or skill development, undertaken entirely at arm’s length, with no business involvement to ensure projects align with grant guidelines.

Budget

  • The panel appreciated when information in the budget section in GATE paralleled information in the project description. When numbers didn’t match, it made it hard for panelists to understand project scope.
  • The panel appreciated when applicants provided context for how applicants identified their expense amounts, including how all artists compensation amounts were calculated.
  • The panel felt strongly about ensuring there was evidence of fair pay to artists across all recommended projects.
  • The panel appreciated when applicants used the comments section of the budget sheet to explain how they defined their own units for each expense line item (e.g., “Actors Fees (4 actors at $1,500 each)” should be listed as 4 units each at $1,500, for a total of $6,000).
  • For projects involving crowd-sourced revenue potential, such as merchandise sales, the panel appreciated when applicants included projected costs and explained how revenue estimates for these were calculated.
  • For projects with multiple revenue sources, it was helpful when applicants identified which expense items would be covered by the AFA, and which would be supported by other revenue sources.
  • The panel highly recommends future applicants separate their subsistence costs into individual expense lines (i.e.: housing, local transport, food, childcare, dependent care).

Support material

  • The panel appreciated when applicants attached resumes for all collaborators on their project. They especially appreciated when the resumes showed evidence of experience in the roles that artists would be filling within your project.
  • Letters of support or identified mentors/team members were helpful, especially for emerging artists, as they gave the panel confidence in the artists’ abilities to complete their projects.
  • The panel appreciated when applicants submitted an excerpt as a writing sample, and preferred that the sample be specific to the project being applied with, as opposed to a sample from past writing.
  • For projects that involved collaborations with other organizations or public entities (e.g., hospitals, schools, etc.), it was helpful when letters of support from those organizations were attached to show that there was an established relationship and vested interest in the project.
  • It was appreciated when artists provided PDFs of their attachments versus using Microsoft Word, as then formatting is not lost.