TAPA - Commercial Theatre Development Fund

The Commercial Theatre Development Fund (CTDF) is funded through the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT), an agency of the Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries (MHSTCI) and administered by the Toronto Alliance of the Performing Arts (TAPA) and MHSTCI.

Objectives

To assist the Ontario commercial theatre sector through associations with Ontario-based Producers who seek to produce mid-sized to large-scale Workshops that will have a high likelihood of concluding in a Commercial Presentation in Ontario;
To assist Producers with their Workshops that are chosen on the basis of their profit-making potential;
To encourage mid-sized to large scale Ontario-based Workshops of at least one full equity work week in duration, with a requirement for the work to be majority original Canadian created content, and a particular emphasis on development initiatives within Ontario outside of Toronto; and
To assist theatre arts workers who are residents in Ontario and who can be employed as the Commercial Production company.

Eligibility Criteria & Requirements (Condensed)

An eligible applicant must meet all the following mandatory requirements:

Must be Canadian – a Canadian Controlled Entity (Corporation or Organization) or Individual (Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident Status)
Must be Situated in Ontario
Must be in the Theatre Production Business

An eligible project must satisfy all of the following criteria:

Must have private support, and must not be seeking or relying upon any government (federal, provincial, or municipal) support
Must be “scripted”, in that the project does not change from night to night (stand-up comics, improvisation, etc. are not eligible)
Majority Canadian Creative Participation including the participation of a writer (or team of writers/composers), a director, actors, stage management as well as other possible participants
Workshop Project Budget ceiling of $100,000 (one hundred thousand dollars)
Must not have excessive financial participation by a non-Canadian
Must provide employment opportunities for theatre arts workers for – with a majority for those who are Ontario residents.

Download Complete Requirements

How to Apply

Review the detailed Applicant/Project Criteria (above)
Send brief Intent to Apply message with project summary to Program Manager Scott Dermody scottd@tapa.ca
Eligible applicants will be invited to submit a full application online through the CTDF portal by revised deadline in March (TBA).
Successful Applicants will be notified a few weeks following deadline.
Only one application per producer may be submitted per cycle.
There will be two intake cycles annually, with a maximum of two successful applications per cycle.For more information please contact Scott Dermody, TAPA Program Manager at scottd@tapa.ca