PRESS RELEASE

Applications open for KSF: Artists of Choice Awards 2016

The KSF has announced the launch of this year’s KSF Artists of Choice Awards, their flagship funding and mentoring initiative for emerging artists in the genres of Theatre, Dance, Film and Musical Theatre. Applications are open to artists resident in the UK, USA; and for the first time this year, Canada made possible by a partnership with KSF and Manjy and David Sidoo and the support of The Sidoo Family Giving Foundation.

KSF Artists of Choice Awards will be made to four UK-based, four US-based and four Canada-based artists or companies, each will receive up to £10,000 or $10,000 in funding, year-round in-kind support from KSF and an industry mentor.

2015 UK recipient Robby Graham of Southpaw Dance Company said of the Awards, “It isn’t just a pot of money, it is more importantly a package of support tailored by people who are passionate about artistic development and who believe in your work.”

Applications are open now on the KSF website closing on Friday 4 March 2016. Applicants will then be shortlisted and in-person interviews with an industry panel will take place in early May 2016. The Awards are open to emerging artists in Theatre, Dance, Film or Musical Theatre who have an exciting, creative and unique project. Those applying will also be required to provide an industry referee that knows their work as well as examples of previous projects or reviews.

Founder of KSF said:

“Last year’s recipients have proven to be accomplished artists and have benefitted hugely from the support of my foundation and their individual mentors. I’m very much looking forward to reviewing this year’s applications and seeing what creativity comes our way from Canada as well as the UK and USA.”

Steve Winter, Executive/Creative Director of KSF, said:

“It has been massively satisfying to not only see the work develop but also the relationships between the artists we’ve supported. I know they have been inspired by each other and the commitment they’ve shown to developing their craft. I feel certain this year’s applicants will be just as enthusiastic and inventive with their project applications.”

Manjy and David Sidoo, Founders of the Sidoo Family Giving, said:

“We are pleased to be supporting and working with the KSF and supporting the arts in Canada. We are excited to see this year’s applicants from Canada.”

A panel of respected creatives will help select the recipients. Last year’s panel included film director Andrew Haigh (Weekend), Head of BBC Films Christine Langan, Director of Europe for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Carola Ash, Atlantic Theater’s Artistic Director Neil Pepe, American Ballet Theater’s Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie, actor Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife), theatre director Jamie Lloyd, actress and singer Laura- Michelle Kelly (Finding Neverland), English National Ballet’s Tamara Rojo, actress and singer Cynthia Erivo (The Color Purple), musical director Ted Sperling and choreographer Wayne McGregor,

The Foundation launched the KSF Artists of Choice Awards in 2015 receiving over 1,200 applications. Awards were made to nine emerging artists. With the expansion of the award to Canada the Foundation hopes to build on its previous success, highlighting the rich diversity of talent there. Previous recipients of the KSF Artists of Choice Awards include:

DANCE USA: Stefanie Batten Bland of Company SBB. The company presented their work Patient(ce) at Harlem Stage, New York, last year. The piece introduced crowds to a performance that examined the critical relationship that the musical, physical and visual arts have with space and time.

THEATER (USA): Ghazi Albuliwi of West Bank Brooklyn Productions. His production of Highly Suspect debuted in December 2015 in New York starring the Obie award-winning actor John Douglas Thompson. The New Group and director Ian Morgan mentored the project.

FILM (USA): India Dupré. Stripped is a true story of family survival, matriarchal sacrifice and forgiveness. In 1979, after being lured to Australia with the promise of a better life and having her three young British children placed in work camps as part of a “Keep Australia White” scheme, a shy yet determined mother becomes a stripper to survive, kidnapping her children back and fleeing across Australia.

MUSICAL THEATER (USA): New York based artists John McGrew, Jonathan Karpinos and Joseph Varca are focused on developing new works exploring the intersection of storytelling and music. The Village of Vale is an original gothic fairytale told through music, art, the written word and performance. Four actors and an eight-person live band create the stories of villagers and strangers in Vale.

DANCE (UK): Robby Graham of Southpaw Dance Company. The company will debut their work Speakeasy at Dance City, Newcastle in March 2016. The piece is a modern interpretation of the classic tale ‘Faust’ featuring Breaking, Charleston and Lindy.

THEATRE (UK): Cressida Brown of Offstage Theatre. Re:Home focuses on the effect of austerity, regeneration, and the Olympics on the residents of the Beaumont Estate, East London; and is a sequel to their first play Home. Re:Home debuted at The Yard, London in February 2016.

FILM (UK): Michael Van Der Put of Broken Hearted Youth. Played out on a five-a-side football pitch Rage explores political anger and apathy felt in the aftermath of the London riots. The project will complete it’s filming later this year.

MUSICAL THEATRE (UK): Writer Chris Bush and Composer Matt Winkworth are developing a new work written in faux- verbatim style. The musical examines the events following the assassination of a controversial public figure.

Timeline:

• Applications open: Now
• Applications close: Friday 4 March 2016
• Interviews: Monday 2 – Monday 9 May 2016
• Awards Made: Early June 2016

Notes to Editors:


Contact: Steve Winter

ABOUT KSF

The purpose of KSF is to discover, train, fund and mentor emerging artists in drama, dance, music, and film as well as developing life enhancing theatre-in-education projects across the globe, in line with its vision statement to: ‘Send the elevator back down’.

KSF’s recipients are those seeking a career in the performing arts and film predominately – but not limited to – secondary school children, further and continuing education students, undergraduates (freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors), post graduates, graduates or those without formal education but the talent and drive to succeed.