What?

At VAULT Festival, we’re committed to providing an accessible platform for artists from all backgrounds to create the best new work. Which is why this year we're creating The CULTIVATE Bursary in association with COMMON to provide vital support to artists from working-class backgrounds taking part in VAULT Festival 2020.

The recipients of The CULTIVATE Bursary will receive a £1000 cash injection towards the cost of their production and £750 worth of PR & marketing, as well as mentorship and increased industry exposure. It is our ambition to award two Bursaries for the 2020 Festival, and to increase this number in future years.

In our pilot year, the recipients will be chosen through an application process open to companies who have already been programmed for VAULT 2020. In future years, we will include The CULTIVATE Bursary application as part of our Festival application, so that we can also hear from working-class companies or artists who would not be able to take part in the festival without additional support.

Why?

Working class artists are severely underrepresented across the theatre industry at all levels. "Only 12.4% of the workforce in the creative industries are from working-class origins, compared to 44% of the UK population" (‘Panic! Social Class, Taste and Inequalities in the Creative Industries, 2018). Yet, we believe that theatre should be open and accessible to all, and incorporate a wide range of voices and backgrounds.

At VAULT Festival, we support some of the best emerging artists working today, and so it seems only right that we should offer greater support to those whose background or circumstances means that they are at a disadvantage, in order to try and create a more even playing field.

How?

To make this a reality, we need your help to raise £2,000 in order to unlock match funding from a generous donor who has agreed to give 50% of the cost of two Bursaries this year, and also for the 2021 and 2022 Festival.

Please donate if you're in a position to help, and if you care about increasing accessibility for working-class artists in the theatre industry. If you're not able to donate, please help us spread the word to others who might be!