- Are you curious about making meaningful connections with international artists?
- Would you like to have the opportunity to share your practice with artists based in Belgium, the Netherlands, the USA, and England, and learn about theirs?
- Would you like to take time to get to know their local arts community, and invite them to visit yours?
- Are you based in Ireland, but outside of Dublin? Or have you strong connections with an arts community in an area outside Dublin? If so, read on!
What is Gap Exchange?
Gap Exchange is an international exchange programme for artists with an established theatre/performance practice. The programme is designed to be informal, egalitarian, and thoughtful, with a focus on taking time, slowing down, sharing local knowledge, and offering hospitality. The visits take place outside of capital cities, and the participating artists take the lead in designing them. Participating artists will share their creative practice, learn from international peers, and develop an international network in an enjoyable and meaningful way. Gap Exchange aims to create new connections and insight where none existed before.
From this open call, four artists based in Ireland whose practice is focused outside of Dublin will be selected.
To get a sense of what Gap Exchange is and the ethos, we invite you to read more and view a video of the previous edition in 2023.
Who is running Gap Exchange?
Gap Exchange is devised and run by artist and creative facilitator Lian Bell and Irish Theatre Institute, with support from international partners SPRING Performing Arts Festival (Utrecht, Netherlands), Arts Centre Viernulvier (Ghent, Belgium), Bluecoat (Liverpool, England), and the Irish Classical Theatre Company (Buffalo, USA). The participating artists will also take responsibility to introduce each other to their professional networks, communities and creative practices. There will be additional local Irish partner organisations involved, who will be confirmed when the Irish artists are selected. Currently these partners include: The Lime Tree, Backstage Arts Centre, Mermaid Arts
Centre, Theatre Royal, Briery Gap, and Cork Theatre Collective.
The idea for Gap Exchange originally developed out of Gap Day, a programme run by Lian Bell and Mermaid Arts Centre since 2016. The programme is funded by the Arts Council’s International Residency Initiatives Scheme, and by all the partner organisations.
How does Gap Exchange work?
Four artists based on the island of Ireland will meet four international artists, one in Belgium, one in England, one in the Netherlands, and one in the USA. Each artist will be paired with another artist and will visit them in their homeplace for a week – meaning that each artist will spend a week as a host in their own country and a week as a guest in another country. These visits will happen between May-July 2025.
The artists themselves are the main architects of the visits. Visits will be preceded by regular online meetups between March-July 2025 as research and relationship building so each host artist can take ownership over planning and programming the visit for their guest. They will be supported in this by the Creative Facilitator and artist liaisons in each partner organisation.
Gap Exchange could be for you if…
- You are curious about making meaningful connections with other artists around the world.
- You want the opportunity to share your practice with international artists and learn about theirs.
- You would like to take time to get to know their local arts community, and invite them to visit and learn about yours.
- You are based outside of Dublin, or you have demonstrably strong connections with an arts community in an area outside the capital.
- You have staged at least two full-length professionally produced or previously programmed productions.
- You may have additional needs that require extra support to take part – we have an access budget for that.
When will it happen?
Applications will close on 27th January at 2pm.
Please download the Gap Exchange Information Pack which contains a link to the Application Form.
There will be an online information session for prospective applicants on Thursday 9th January at 1pm – please register in advance to join us.
The information session will not be recorded but a detailed FAQ document based on the session will be available (below) from Friday 10th January.
You will hear the result of your application by 28th February at the latest. Online gatherings will start in March and we will work with the artists and international partners to plan the schedule of visits. The visits will take place between May and July 2025 – for specific dates for different hosts, please see the Information Pack. You must be available for the dates outlined in the Information Pack, and you will be asked to indicate your availability in your application.
Gap Exchange is funded through the International Residencies Initiative Scheme and with contributions from the international partners.
Gap Exchange 2025 documents
Information Pack and Application Form
| pdf (890kb)
