Applications are now open for the Neil Curnow Award, which grants one emerging South Australian artist up to $10,000 to further their career in theatre.

The Neil Curnow Award is currently taking applications from final year students and graduates aged between 18 and 30 who wish to take their career in acting, theatre or directing to the next level.

Established in 2005 by the Helpmann Academy on behalf of the Independent Arts Foundation, the award offers up to $10,000 for graduates wishing to undertaking international study, or $7,000 for interstate study.

Honouring the legacy of the late Neil Curnow, an Adelaidean actor, director, teacher and voice coach, the award gives local artists the opportunity to advance their career and build networks by providing training and hands-on experiences that are not available in South Australia.

Clara Solly Slade, the 2017 recipient of the Neil Curnow Award, says the grant made her career.

Graduating from the Adelaide College of the Arts, Clara used the $10,000 grant to intern for three world-renowned theatre organisations: La MaMa in Brooklyn, New York City; the H.E.A.T Collective in New York City; and Working Classroom in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Through the grant, Clara was also able to work full-time with the State Theatre Company South Australia and State Opera South Australia through Helpmann’s Emerging Director fellowship.

Describing the whole experience as “illuminating, expanding and inspiring”, Clara urges people who are considering applying for the award to “start your application yesterday”.

Clara Solly Slade

“Winning the 2017 Neil Curnow award facilitated the most exciting opportunities of my professional career thus far,” she says.

She now works as an independent theatremaker, and says she couldn’t have done it without support from the Helpmann Academy.

“The Helpmann Academy has been an enormous support to me since I graduated from Adelaide College of the Arts, giving me the opportunity to undertake projects and training that would never have been possible without their backing,” she says.

Eliza Oliver, the 2018 recipient of the award, used the funds to undergo a writer’s residency with For the Sake of Being(s) in Finland, take acting classes at the Royal School of Speech and Drama in London, then return to Adelaide and pitch a drama to the State Theatre Company of South Australia for their mainstage season.

Eliza says the residency and training provided by the award helped her curate skills that “really lift [her] practice”.

Visit the Helpmann Academy website for more information about eligibility and the application process.

Applications close on Monday, 3 October at 11:59pm.