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Curtain Up on £12.2 million Grand Opera House Restoration
The £12.2 million restoration and development of the Grand Opera House in Belfast has been completed, allowing the Grand Opera House Trust and its Chief Executive to plan for its full reopening in line with the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of the restoration project were unveiled to key stakeholders and media on Thursday 10 June, and the theatre will reopen to the public with bookable theatre tours in July. These tours will precede the full reopening of the theatre for performances later in the year, subject to the Covid-19 public health guidance at that time.
 
 
Funding News

The Arts Council is currently dealing with an unprecedented volume of email correspondence. It may take longer than usual for staff to respond to your enquiries. We thank you for your patience.

Our staff list is here.

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Stage Beyond Theatre Company begins work on new film about memory
Stage Beyond, a theatre company for adults with learning difficulties based in Derry-Londonderry, is set to begin a new production, Mind the Time, a film themed around memory, supported by National Lottery funding through the Arts Council.

Members of Stage Beyond will act in the film, which will also feature some instantly recognisable locations in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including Doagh Famine Village in Donegal, where they'll capture the spectacular surroundings and the beautifully preserved cottages.  The film will be released to the public later this year.  

The production has challenged the actors to draw on their personal memories. One of the highlights during a recent recording was on set in Culmore Point, where one of Stage Beyond's members revealed a very distinct memory of the 1969 Derry Fancy Dress competition, where he won first prize as The Milky Bar Kid! 
 
 
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Arts activities to enjoy online
The Arts Council has rounded up just some of the fantastic creative activities and performances you can enjoy online, most of which are funded by the Arts Council, the Dept for Communities and the National Lottery.

New highlights include: 

Kabosh: Previously untold stories of women as a tool of war are the subject of 'The Shedding of Skin', the new play from Kabosh which will have four online screenings from Tuesday 15 - Friday 18 June.

Ardowen Theatre, Enniskillen: Friday 18th June the Ardhowen welcomes the Ulster Orchestra with a special online performance. This varied programme, which highlights different sections of the orchestra, includes pieces by Dvorák, Richard Strauss, Heber, Suc & Gabrieli. Streamed on the Ardowen Facebook page at 8pm.

Watch the Arts Council's Head of Community Arts & Education, Gilly Campbell, with her weekly roundup on NVTV here.
 
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Northern Ireland Opera Studio announce their new creative and technical members for 2021-22
The Northern Ireland Opera Studio is a programme for emerging artists which is a cornerstone of Northern Ireland Opera's mission to develop talent.  This year for the first time Northern Ireland Opera will take in two cadres of talented professionals working on the island of Ireland.  Previously limited to opera singers, the Studio will now also provide professional development and paid training opportunities in the creative and technical disciplines which are key to bringing an opera to life on stage. The Studio members will be able to experience working on main stage productions, masterclasses, mentoring and will work with the Studio's opera singers to create a range of events and smaller productions across the year of their Studio membership.
 
 
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Anna Carragher, OBE
Congratulations to former Arts Council Board Member, Anna Carragher, who has been honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours List with an OBE for Services to the Arts in Northern Ireland.

A former Head of Programmes and the first female Controller of BBC NI, Anna Carragher joined the board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (2012-19), bringing a wealth of 40 years of experience and commitment to public service in both executive and non-executive roles, including serving on the boards of the Northern Ireland Film and Television Commission, RAJAR, the radio industry audience research body, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Grand Opera House Trust, the UK City of Culture advisory panel, in addition to acting as a Commissioner for the Equality Commission of NI and Electoral Commissioner for NI. 

 
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The tour must go on! A guide to touring across Europe for UK performing artists & companies
This simple, practical guide supports and empowers UK-based individual artists and small companies working in theatre, dance and live art to continue to tour work across Europe.
From insurance and visas to copyright and cabotage, the guide offers a practical step-by-step overview guide, case studies and country-focused details to help navigate the post-Brexit touring landscape and will continue to be updated as the rules and regulations evolve.
Commissioned by Arts Council England through Artsadmin, LIFT and 1927, the guide was written by independent producers and consultants Nadine Patel and Ania Obolewicz and it is available to read, listen to and download in text, audio and Easy Read formats.
 
 
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Culture Night Belfast –
Creative Opportunity
Culture Night Belfast (CNB) is seeking to commission a Creative Lead/Collective to conceptualise and deliver an outdoor artwork/cultural experience to engage visitors to the Cathedral Quarter over the course of the weekend 17th – 19th September 2021.

A budget of £25,000 (including VAT) is available of which it is anticipated no more than £5,000 against fees for creative concept development and management of the process of delivering the artwork.  Additional technical and production support will be supplied from a separate budget. 

Deadline for proposals: Wednesday 30th June 12pm.
 
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Bank of Ireland
Begin Together Arts Fund
The Bank of Ireland Begin Together Arts Fund, in partnership with Business to Arts and Arts & Business NI, closes for applications on Wednesday 23rd June 2021 at 5pm. 

This Fund provides fees to artists or groups of artists to create new work and help maximise the budgets of partner organisations (e.g. arts organisations, community/voluntary organisations, etc.) for their programme of activity. 

Artists or groups of artists applying must work with a partner organisation. Applicants can request funds between c. £2,500 – £8,400, and average grants will be £4,200, with maximum grants of £8,400. Arts projects with larger budgets that have secured funds elsewhere are encouraged to apply. With each grant round, the Fund aims to provide funding to an arts project in each county on the island of Ireland.
 
 
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The Largest Northern Ireland-led Global Musicians Collaboration.
And No One Is Playing A Note
On Make Music Day, 21st June, Beyond Skin, the John Cage Trust and Make Music Day UK, with musicians from 23 countries, will premiere a special collaboration performance video of the John Cage composition 4'33". The score instructs performers not to play their instruments during the duration of the piece, which consists of the sounds of the environment that the listeners hear while it is performed, although it is commonly perceived as "four minutes thirty-three seconds of silence". The final production will be released on 21st June 4.33pm (UK Time) as part of a Make Music Day online broadcast and will also be available on YouTube and Facebook.

Beyond Skin is an organisation enabling the arts as the dialogue to assist the development of a more peaceful, equal and intercultural society free from racism & sectarianism.
 
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Anti-Money Laundering regulations - Guidance
Under the latest Anti-Money Laundering regulations, it is crucial that art businesses which fall under the definition of an Art Market Participant establish a culture of compliance. 
Do you require help in feeling confident in meeting these obligations? Creative United and Kingsley Napley's 'AMLD5 and The Art Market' programme offers practical advice to support Art Market Participants to understand, assess and respond to these new obligations through a range of free online resources. 
Register through LearnWorlds and gain access to compliance specific workshops and a comprehensive AML Toolkit for Art Market Participants, which includes: 

  • FAQs & Useful Resources for Art Market Participants
  • Verification of Identity Table
  • Sample Anti-Money Laundering Policy, Risk Assessment Form, Customer Due Diligence Form & Suspicious Activity Report
 
 
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Arts Council COVID-19 advice
Keep up to date with the latest Coronavirus updates from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, including a list of potential funding sources which might be helpful to artists and arts organisations at this time. We will update this list as we go along. 

If you know of any other sources, please contact us at and we will share with the sector.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) regulations guidance - Updated 14th June 2021:

The NI Executive has set an indicative date of 21 June for the return of audiences in theatres, concert halls and other venues, as well as the return of conferences and exhibitions.

Live music will be permitted, without restriction to volume, for rehearsal, recording or performance purposes in concert venues, theatres and other indoor venues which, for the duration of the rehearsal, recording or performance are set aside for that purpose.

Follow the link below for full update.
 
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