Every spring, the CDTPS sends out a call for proposals for our upcoming Programming Committee events season, which occurs during the academic year from September to April. Faculty, students and staff are invited to apply. Proposals vary widely and can include anything from lectures, staged readings, the FOOT Conference, working group activities, book launches, practice as research projects, colloquia, symposia and other projects that align with the work of the Centre.
Applying to the Programming Committee is an opportunity to produce your own event while receiving support from the Centre. However, producers are entirely responsible for their project’s execution. The support provided to producers does not necessarily equate to a dollar amount, although producers may make a request for funding in their application. The monetary amount, if awarded, will depend on a number of factors including the kind of event proposed and the number of applications received in a given season. All funds for programming committee events are pulled from the same pool of funds and must be distributed as equitably as possible. Funds not used within a producer’s budget will go back into the Programming Committee funding pool to support future events,
Aside from a monetary amount, which is not a requirement of your proposal, there are various other supports that are offered to Programming Committee event producers including space and labour, both of which are not free resources. The labour offered includes the professional services and guidance from the Centre staff, as well as hours offered from our work-study students, all of which are paid by the Centre. Please keep in mind that our curricular courses take priority over Programming Committee events when selecting spaces and times for events.
We offer the following financial ranges for these event categories:
- Lecture/guest speaker – up to $250
- Performer – up to $200
- Artistic/training/performance workshop – up to $500
- Staged reading/hospitality – up to $200
- Academic workshop/event – up to $500
Within these categories, we have developed some standards for what we can offer financially. For guest speakers/lecturers or guests who participate in panel discussions, we are offering an honorarium of up to $250. For invited guests who run a workshop or who present a full-scale lecture and participate in a Q&A, we are offering an honorarium of up to $500. For hired performers, the committee will offer up to $200 as an honorarium.
For staged readings, the committee will offer up to $200. This amount is for hospitality and producers will be reimbursed for receipts presented. Staged readings must include members of our community in the reading.
Although the Programming Committee does not primarily fund theatrical productions, we will consider a theatrical production proposal that is show-ready if the following criterial are met:
- The application is submitted 5 days prior to the Programming Committee events’ deadline (April 29 by 11:59pm)
- The production idea is feasible, coherent and conceptualized
- The production can take place in December or April
- The proposal includes the following supportive documents:
- A description of the play or project that you would like to showcase including the run time (suggested 45 to 90 minutes)
- An explanation of why you would like to put on this show and how it is relevant to the CDTPS community
- Artistic intent (How will you stage this show? i.e., visual concept and approach)
- Designers, technical team and cast (known to date)
- A copy of the play (if applicable)
- A preliminary production schedule
- CV for key artistic personnel and any supporting press materials, website links, etc.
These materials should be emailed to comms.cdtps@utoronto.ca and will be reviewed by our theatre operations team – Ariel Martin-Smith and Adrien Whan.
We would also like to remind students that the Alumni Performance Project is another option for students to produce a full-scale production that they can apply for within five years of their graduation.
As we want the Programming Committee events to be open to everyone in the community, we do not support entrance fees or paid ticketing.
The application form will take you through a series of questions including, most importantly, why you think your event would be beneficial to the CDTPS community. If this event is part of your PhD research, please ensure that you’ve investigated SGS/FAS or other graduate student support prior to submitting a proposal to the programming committee.