AGM & September Members Meeting
When: Tuesday 29 September, 10am

This meeting will include FST's Annual General Meeting and FST Board elections, as well as updates on strategy development and advocacy.

Further details on board nominations, voting instructions*, and minutes/agendas can be found by following the link below.

*Please note details on Proxy voting for those that cannot attend are outlined on the website.

New FST Members
We're delighted to welcome the following individuals and organisation to our membership. Click their name to find out more about each member.

Martin O'Connor: performer, poet, and theatre maker
Jon Beales: composer, musical director, and sound designer.
Michael O’Neill: dramaturg and producer
Outspoken Arts Scotland: working with artists and communities with protected characteristics.
Fin Ross Russell: an internationally-minded emerging arts production company

UK Theatre, See it Safely
Our friends at UK Theatre have very kindly agreed to allow our members to utilise their See it Safely campaign. We are currently in discussions with them regarding processes and practicalities and will update the membership with further details as soon as we can. The campaign will be managed across England and Wales by UK Theatre and will supply a toolkit that venues can use to plan for safely re-opening. The campaign is public facing and aims to show that your venue has taken the necessary measures and is operating in line with Government guidelines. The toolkit includes safety mark, safety video, website copy and signage, etc. Futher details to follow.

Marketing & Communications at FST
A little ahead of schedule the brilliant Agnieszka has now left us for maternity leave - wee Adam was not keen to wait until his due date! Both mum and baby are doing great and although we're missing getting to see them both we have been joined by Allan Ramsay as maternity cover for Marketing & Communications. For any enquiries you can contact Allan on: allan.ramsay@scottishtheatre.org

FST Members COVID-19 'check-in' survey

We would be grateful if you could take 15 minutes of your time to fill in our latest members survey. The first part of the survey focuses on your/your organisation's experience of Covid-19 and its impact, the rest of the survey will help us evaluate how best to serve our members over the coming months. Your input is invaluable to us and helps frame our advocacy for the sector in the lived experience of these challenging times. Thank you in advance for taking part. 

Scottish Government updates

On 10 September the Scottish Government updated the indicative date for theatres to re-open in Scotland to 5 October. This date is subject to review on 1 October, and we will update the site and our social channels as soon as there is a new update.

We are still in Phase 3 of the Scottish Government's Route Map out of lockdown. An overview of the current government guidance along with useful links, can be found on our site by clicking the button below.

There has been no formal amendments to the 21 August guidance published by the Scottish Government, and this can be found on the Scot Gov website here.

Creative Scotland updates

On 3 September Creative Scotland published initial details regarding the 5 Culture and Heritage Emergency Funds to be delivered over the coming weeks. These include:

Culture Organisations & Venues Recovery Fund – £15m
Creative Freelancer Hardship Fund – £5m
Sustaining Creative Practice Fund – £5m
Youth Arts Fund – £3m
Independent Cinema Recovery & Resilience Fund – £3.5m

The funds will be opened over the coming weeks with further details currently only available for the Independent Cinema Fund and, as of 10 September, the Culture Organisations & Venues Recovery Fund.

The latter includes some exclusions for applicants, for example, applications will not be considered for any organisation who gains support through the Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund (with decisions due on that funding scheme by 24 September).

You can read more about each fund and follow the news on our website via the button below.

Culture Counts

Culture Counts are currently drafting a crowd-sourced Cultural Manifesto; the manifesto will be part of a strategy to encourage political parties to make sound decisions about cultural policy in their manifestos for the upcoming Scottish Parliamentary Elections in May 2021.
 
You can learn more about the proposal and submit your ideas by following the link below. Deadline for submissions is Monday 5 October.

Training, Events & Online Meet-ups

We are trialling a new emailing strategy whereby you'll now receive a bi-monthly What's On email that will specifically outline all upcoming events, training, and meet-ups to all members on the mailing list.

Monthly newsletters will now highlight the month ahead, and as ever you can find all upcoming events on our site or by clicking the button below.

FST Assistant Director/Chroreographer/Movement Director Bursaries:
There is an upcoming deadline of the 25 September.
The next deadline will be in April of 2021.
Find out more

FST Producer Bursaries:
There is an upcoming deadline of 25 September.
The next deadline will be in April of 2021.
Find out more

Go, See, Network, Share Fund
There is an upcoming deadline of 30 September.
The next deadline will be 31 December.
Even during Covid-19 this fund aims to support FST members by funding attendance at key sector events, this includes online, showcases, webinars and events,festivals and sector body meetings where attendance provides significant opportunity for continued professional, creative and project development. Find out more

A full selection of bursaries and FST funds can be found at any time by following the link below.

In June 2020 FST convened an advisory group to provide clarity on Health and Safety matters for theatres & theatrical producing companies relating to Covid-19. The group is meeting regularly to collate and signpost current Government, professional and union guidance. You can find this regularly updated section on the website by clicking the button below.

Upcoming H&S events include:

Health & Safety Surgery, Tuesday 22 September, 2pm - Find out more

If you'd like to list your opportunities on our website, in our newsletters, or on our social media channels then please contact us at hello@scottishtheatre.org. You can always find the most up to date listings by visiting the Jobs section on our website.