Approval of Performances: Refund Scheme (Denmark)

Danish Arts Foundation is Denmark’s largest arts foundation. They work to spread the arts to a wide audience all over Denmark, to promote Danish art internationally, and to pave the way for talented artists. They support creative thinking and innovative ideas by funding more than 6,000 artists and art projects every year.

Through more than 60 different funding programmes, they fund the production and promotion of both visual arts, film, literature, music, performing arts, architecture, crafts, and design – and all that transcends the borders of these art forms. And as a foreign artist, you may apply for funding for your artwork or project through their international funding programmes.

Purpose

• The purpose of the Refund Scheme is to provide municipalities and non-municipal institutions in Denmark with an incentive to purchase refund-approved performances, thereby ensuring that performances of a professional quality are available throughout the country.

How much you may apply for?

• You can only apply for approval for fully produced performances.

Who can apply?

• Theatres and producers of professional performing arts can apply for the approval of performances aimed at:
  • children (up to and including 15 years old)
  • youth (up to and including 24 years old)
  • outreach performances: performances for children, youth, and adults, which are performed in places where theatre is not normally staged, such as a library, a town square, or a children’s institution.
• In addition, theatres, producers, and performers who have experience as performing arts curators can apply for a refund approval for professional international guest performances at festivals or other forms of guest performances in Denmark.
• Which Performances are automatically approved for refund?
  • Performances produced with subsidies under the Performing Arts Act are automatically approved for refund and do not need to apply. This applies, for example, to performances produced with subsidies from The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts Project Funding.
  • Please note that the refund approval will expire five theatrical seasons after the theatre’s subsidies under the Performing Arts Act have ended. If an approved performance is transferred to a theatre that does not receive subsidies under the Performing Arts Act, the refund approval expires five theatrical seasons after the transfer. The theatre must then apply for a new refund approval.
  • A refund approval will apply to one or more theatrical seasons at a time. A theatrical season runs from 1st July to 30th June.

Criteria

• The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts Project Funding assesses each performance based on a definition of what it means to be a professional and what is meant by performing arts.
  • When is one considered professional?
    • The main participants in the performance (e.g., director/set designer/choreographer, as well as a significant portion of the performers such as actors, dancers, etc.) must be professionals by virtue of:
      • professional performing arts training from a government-recognised educational institution or
      • achievement or career based on skills earned through activities in performing arts.
    • Amateurs may participate in a performance. The determining factor is:
      • that the artistic responsibility lies with professional artistic management, and
      • that the use of amateurs is artistically justified.
  • Qualitative Standard
    • In assessing the qualitative standard of the performance, the committee will focus on:
      • The idea and artistic intention of the performance.
      • Dramaturgy, staging and direction.
      • The coherence between staging and content.
      • The ability to translate content into a specifically chosen expression.
      • The stage skills of the performers.
      • The relationship with the audience and considerations regarding the target age group.
      • That the artistic necessity of the performance is expressed.

For more information, visit Danish Arts Foundation.