Support Organisations in Ireland

Organisations that offer professional information or support for Irish theatremakers, 
with resources and services that are particularly relevant to playwrights

Irish Theatre Institute
www.irishtheatreinstitute.ie

Irish Theatre Institute (ITI), is a resource organisation that supports and acknowledges the achievements and ambition of Irish theatre artists and companies across all aspects of theatre practice. ITI has pioneered networking, information provision and online research tools and has become a key resource organisation for the Irish theatre. ITI's mission is to create opportunities abroad and strengthen resources at home for theatre artists, companies, venues and festivals.

Irish Theatre Institute provides support for playwrights through PLAYOGRAPHYIreland, an online searchable catalogue of new Irish plays in English and Irish since 1901. Playography’s e-Plays service offers playwrights the opportunity to sell play scripts online with the majority of the price being paid directly to them.

Irish Theatre Institute offers a range of information and supports through its User Services Registration including Information Clinics. Through Information Clinics, ITI offers advice to playwrights on numerous topics including publishing, copyright, contracts & career development.

Six in the Attic, an initiative funded under the Arts Council's Resource-Sharing Scheme, allows ITI to provide theatre artists with space, time and practical resources coupled with mentoring and advice services that they can use to explore, develop and make work. The Six in The Attic Writer’s Annex offers desk space, rehearsal rooms and mentoring to emerging and mid-career playwrights.

IRISHTHEATRE.ie, produced by Irish Theatre Institute, is a comprehensive multimedia directory of professional drama, dance and opera in Ireland, North and South. Here playwrights can access company and venue details; up-to-date news on theatre, opera and dance; theatre resources such as Professional Development Programmes, Support Organisations, Funding Opportunities, Literary Agencies (Ireland & UK) and more.

Theatre Forum
www.theatreforum.ie

Theatre Forum provides information, training & professional development, research, and policy and advocacy work on behalf of the Irish theatre sector. Theatre Forum is the representative association for theatre and the performing arts in Ireland. The annual All-Ireland Performing Arts Conference brings together companies, managers, artistic directors, and practitioners from across the performing arts in the Republic and Northern Ireland. Theatre Forum provides information, training & professional development, research, and policy and advocacy work on behalf of the Irish theatre sector. Annual membership starts from €25 per year for individuals, and allows access to member resources, including Sample Contracts for playwrights for the commissioning a new play and for the license of an existing play.

Theatre NI
https://theatreni.org/

TheatreNI is the representative body to support and develop theatre and the performing arts for all in Northern Ireland including in its widest terms the areas of drama, physical theatre, dance, circus, street theatre, musical theatre and opera. TheatreNI was established following a merger between the Ulster Association of Youth Drama (UAYD) and Northern Ireland Theatre Association (NITA) in Spring 2015 – signifying a new era for the theatre and performing arts sector. TheatreNI aims to create a vibrant, healthy theatre sector by supporting its members and the wider sector to encourage participation in theatre and the performing arts. 

Among the resources offered to members are  a number of bursaries to support established and emerging theatre and performing arts practitioners to access professional development opportunities. The bursaries aim to develop artistic excellence, professional practice and innovative approaches to the creation of theatre and the performing arts in Northern Ireland, such as the Professional Development Bursaries – to support theatre and performing arts practitioners to attend training and development opportunities outside of Northern Ireland.