Ireland Theatre Project Award 2027 Round 2: Up to €26,000 for Theatre and Experimental Performance
Ireland's 2027 theatre project funding round
The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon lists Theatre Project Award 2027, Round 2, with an application opening date of 20 October 2026 and a closing date of 19 November 2026 at 5:30 pm Ireland time. The maximum award is €26,000. The scheme supports specific artistic projects in theatre and is available to individual theatre practitioners and organisations meeting the official criteria. The Arts Council's online listing still uses the label 'Opening soon'; applicants should verify activation of the funding portal on the scheduled opening date.
Theatre-led moving image and hybrid performance
The principal artform must be theatre. Ireland's Arts Council explicitly recognises that contemporary theatre may borrow from visual art, film, dance and music. Innovative performances involving live camera feeds, projection, digital scenography, interactive audience participation or sound can be relevant when their central purpose is theatrical creation or presentation. A standalone film, gallery installation or commercial software prototype should not be described as automatically eligible without checking the project's theatre fit.
Who can apply and what the award means
The official listing identifies two applicant types: Individual Artist and Organisation. It does not offer every applicant €26,000, but sets that figure as the maximum possible grant for an assessed proposal. Check the current 2027 Round 2 guidelines for rules on applicant location, whether a single proposal or a collaboration is eligible, proposed activity dates, budgets and the support material required. Applicants should not infer permission for major purchases or ordinary business operating costs.
Complete documents before the Irish-time deadline
The public page provides links to 2027 Round 2 Theatre Project Award guidelines, an Arts Council theatre budget spreadsheet, and a personal-disability access-costs template where relevant. Create an account in the Arts Council's official funding system, read the full programme requirements and prepare a coherent project outline, artistic rationale, production timetable and accurate budget. The stated 19 November closing time is 17:30 local time, not midnight.
Organizer's public record
The Arts Council is Ireland's national agency for supporting artists and arts organisations. It operates across theatre, film, literature, music and visual arts, funds development and presentation, and publishes its annual funding schedule. Its theatre programme supports playwrights, directors, producers, devising companies and emerging and established performance practitioners. This is therefore a specific public-funding call rather than an unverified private competition.
Important checks before applying
Read the official guidelines for payment and reporting obligations, permitted expenses, rights in collaborative material, the project timetable and any restrictions on previous public support. The maximum award and published dates do not establish entitlement to funding, and a scheme opening date on a calendar is not confirmation that a portal is already operational. Use the official Arts Council page and the stated theatre@artscouncil.ie enquiry address.
Official programme and application
https://artscouncil.ie/funding-opportunities/theatre-project-award-round-2/
https://artscouncil.ie/news/2026-funding-schedule/