In 2019, as a present to himself for his 80th birthday Ian McKellen went on a tour of the UK visiting 87 venues with a one-man show. The aim was to raise money for each venue he visited. Later that year the show transferred to the West End for 88 performances.

The final two shows were captured by the producing team in conjunction with NT Live. In 2021 the show became, and remains, available to watch on Amazon Prime for customers in UK and Ireland and globally via NT @ Home.

All remaining profits from both the West End run and the future broadcast including any salary Ian would have received will be distributed to help emerging producers by providing a one-off grant.

This grant may be used towards both capitalisation and running costs, specifically for the payment of actor wages. Awards of up to £25,000 are available, provided the Producer pays the cast no less than Equity minimum rates and that total actor fees are consistent with industry norms for the venue in which the work is presented.

The Live Entertainment & Arts Foundation and ATG Productions are proud to facilitate these grants to enable ambitious theatre productions that create employment for artists, expand opportunities for emerging producers, and bring high-quality work to audiences that might otherwise not reach the stage.

Between now and April 2029, our ambition is to provide support to a minimum of 30 productions by way of these grants.

This grant supports emerging theatre producers and independent production companies to create ambitious work and employ larger casts.

Purpose of the Grant

The grant aims:

• To support emerging theatre producers and independent production companies.
• To enable producers to employ and fairly pay a larger number of creative and production professionals than they otherwise would be able.
• To make productions with larger casts viable that might otherwise be financially unachievable. Grants will favour projects that break even specifically because of this funding.
• To support the production of plays, including both new writing and revivals.

• Grants are awarded at the sole discretion of the judging panel.
• Due to high demand, applications that meet eligibility criteria may still be unsuccessful. Applicants are advised to allow sufficient time between application and production start dates, or to have alternative funding arrangements in place.
• Successful applicants will receive the grant payment in the week prior to rehearsals, subject to proof that the remainder of the production’s capitalisation is in place.
• Successful applicants are not eligible to apply for future funding rounds. Unsuccessful applicants may reapply.