Future Theatre Fund launched by the Evening Standard and TikTok

The Evening Standard Future Theatre Fund will award 12 emerging talents £10,000 each to further their theatre careers, as well as provide mentoring for the recipients.

Developed in response to the impacts of COVID-19 on the UK’s creative industries, the fund will be awarded to ten recent graduates from the UK’s top drama schools and nominees from theatre programmes working across different disciplines. 

Two candidates will also be selected for the TikTok Breakout Award, offering funding to promising young people who may not have received formal training in drama to begin their career in the theatre. 

Going live on 26 November, the new hashtag challenge #TikTokBreakoutStar will allow candidates for the Breakout Award to submit their nominations on TikTok. People can nominate themselves by creating a TikTok video that showcases their passion for the industry. 

Before being awarded the fund, the recipients will undergo a rigorous selection process led by a panel of experts including Andrew Lloyd Webber, Helen McCrory, and Kwamwe Kwei-Armah. Also on the panel will be Nancy Durrant, arts editor of the Evening Standard, Rich Waterworth, general manager of TikTok UK, and Paul Roseby, artistic director of the NYT, who will chair the panel. 

The Evening Standard Theatre Awards, the oldest theatre awards in the UK, are not going ahead this year due to the pandemic. 

Deborah Rosenegk, chief client officer at the Evening Standard, said, 'The Evening Standard has a huge legacy in supporting theatre and we are thrilled to be partnering with TikTok who have confirmed their commitment to nurturing and promoting creative talent in the UK. Together we have created a multi-platform content partnership providing a much needed showcase for emerging future theatre makers and their work.’ 

TikTok’s Richard Waterworth said, ‘Every day on TikTok we see the breadth and depth of creative talent that the UK has to offer. Often with just the props in their front room, TikTok creators use their creativity, ingenuity and wit to bring to life an idea through video, sharing it with our community to make them laugh, smile or experience something new. 

‘We're delighted to be working with the Evening Standard for the Future Theatre Fund to celebrate the next generation of theatre makers from the raw creative talent just considering a life in theatre, to the professionally trained graduates who have spent years developing their craft. We hope this Fund will be the firestarter people need to begin their careers, at a time when the industry really needs support from everyone who values the performing arts.’

Find out more here.