Four creative companies given an extra boost with Mo Siewcharran grants

Posted on July 21, 2021

Publishing companies Profile Books and Canongate, as well as theatres Cloud Cuckoo Land and Stockroom, have been awarded the latest grants from the Mo Siewcharran Fund

The Fund was set up in memory of former Nielsen Books Director Mo Siewcharran, whose passion for theatre and publishing lives on through this Fund. The Fund, administered by Creative Access, supports internships for young talent from ethnicities that are under-represented in the creative industries.

Birmingham based theatre company Cloud Cuckoo Land Theatre is recruiting a Children’s Theatre Leadership Trainee to support the company with creating children’s theatre for and with systemically marginalised communities.

We’re over the moon to be welcoming a Children’s Theatre Leadership Trainee to join us in Cloud Cuckoo Land. Young audiences deserve stories and theatre experiences that reflect, celebrate and resonate with their lives and communities. The theatre for young audiences sector has limited ethnic and cultural diversity behind the scenes, in the very roles that author, inspire and drive new productions: so we’re incredibly grateful to Creative Access and the Mo Siewcharran Fund for the opportunity to provide a new route into that work for a talented aspiring artist.”

London theatre company Stockroom works with artists from all backgrounds to bring the best work to the most people. They are hiring a Trainee Dramaturg to contribute to the creation of new plays for the stage. Kate Wasserberg, Artistic Director for Stockroom said:

“Stockroom is a company dedicated to creating new work for the stage and the first theatre company to create a diverse writers room of staffed artists who group write all of our work. We are delighted to welcome a Trainee Dramaturg into our writers room where they will develop their voice and learn to trust their instincts in a nurturing and creative environment. We are incredibly grateful to receive this funding and for our partnership with Creative Access in this exciting project.”

Canongate, a leading publishing house based in London and Edinburgh, has also been awarded the grant. Francis Bickmore, Publishing Director for Canongate said:

“We’re thrilled and honoured to have been awarded this grant, which is especially important to us as John Seton was a colleague of ours at Canongate and this fund was set up as a lasting memorial to his wife Mo. It is such a practical and lasting project for change and we are confident we will gain and be able to train a fabulous colleague as a result.”

The final grant has been awarded to leading non-fiction independent publisher, Profile Books. Niamh Murray, Campaigns Director at Profile Books said:

“We’re delighted to be welcoming a Creative Access trainee to Profile Books and our award-winning publicity team. The support by Creative Access is second-to-none, the calibre of applicants remarkable and it’s fitting that many of the senior team worked with Mo Siewcharran early in her career so we’re proud and delighted to be taking part in this fantastic scheme in her memory.”

John Seaton, who set up the Fund, said:

“Yet again we were bowled over by the strength of the applications to Mo’s Fund. The creative industries – and in particular theatres – continue to have a tough time and Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse employees in the UK have suffered disproportionately from job losses throughout the pandemic. Our hope is that these grants will act as a catalyst for the trainees to enter and thrive in the creative industries.”

Any theatre or publisher wishing to apply for the next round of Mo Siewcharran Fund should email here for the application form. The deadline for the next round of submissions for the Mo Siewcharran Fund is Friday 3rd December 2021.