James LillywhiteThe shortlist has been announced for the 2016 Arts Foundation Children’s Theatre Award, which gives candidates the chance to win £10,000.
Dancer and choreographer Liz Clark, spoken word artist Steven Camden, performance maker and choreographer Rosie Heafford and musician and live artist Greg Sinclair have all been nominated for the prize, which is announced in January 2016.
One of the judges of the awards David Harradine, from Fevered Sleep, said: “I know how hard it can be to be an artist with ambition and a strong commitment to young audiences, and how frustrating that, still, work for children is not as celebrated, well-funded, or critically acclaimed as it should be.
“Spanning disciplines, the shortlist all share a vision of a world in which artists aspire to make their best work, their most innovative work, and their bravest work, when they’re making work for children.
“That the Arts Foundation might help make such a dreamed-of world a reality is simply brilliant.”
The other judges include critic Lyn Gardner and Southbank’s Jude Kelly CBE.
The £10,000 grant is not intended to be used as a commission, but as living and working expenses to allow artists more creative time.
The shortlist was nominated by established practitioners, producers and directors from across the UK.
They were picked from writers, adapters, designers and devisers from across the UK that work within children’s theatre.
The Arts Foundation Awards 2016 take place on January 28 2016, and are supported by the Lionel Bart Foundation.
Other awards include Art in Urban Space, Literary Translation, and Producers of Live Music, in an event where over £78,000 of grants will be handed out.
The nominations for the 2016 Arts Foundation Children’s Theatre Awards have been announced. For more information, click here.
Image: Arts Foundation Awards/ Twitter