Gap Day
We are delighted to announce the participants for Gap Day 2025!
Gap Day gives professional freelance theatre practitioners across Ireland paid time to think, dream and plan. Gap Days are available to directors, theatre makers, writers, designers, dramaturgs, production managers and creative producers - essentially, anyone who has a prime creative role in the making of the work.
A Gap Day enables people to take time out and dedicate a day to the creative research and thinking they haven't been able to do lately. How they spend the day is up to them: reading, writing, thinking, drawing, walking, dreaming. Whatever they don’t normally have time to do; whatever they think is needed.
Participants get
- paid for their time taking Gap Days
- a workspace at an arts centre or cultural building local to them for their Gap Days
- an informal chat over a cup of tea with the director or senior member of staff in their host organisation
- lunch on each Gap Day
- access to regular drop-in online gatherings
- access to a fund to help people with additional needs get the most out of their Gap Day
- access to small creative thinking gatherings in person across the country
- access to one-to-one coaching to help them make plans and put their plans in motion.
Gap Day was set up by Lian Bell and Mermaid in 2015 and to date has supported over 300 artists. The producer of the Gap Day programme is Julie Kelleher who is working in collaboration with Gap Day Founder Lian Bell and the Mermaid Arts Centre team.
The 2025 Gap Day programme is funded by the Arts Council of Ireland and in 2025, we are supporting 40 Gap Day artists.
For more information on the Gap Day programme, a FAQ document is available to download HERE
We welcome applications from across the island, and from people of all genders, nationalities, races, cultural backgrounds, ages, religions, languages, different abilities, sexual orientations or socio-economic statuses. We want to hear from artists who are parents and carers. We particularly encourage applications from members of groups who are underrepresented in the cultural sector.
Participants 2025
‘It was so brilliant to have somewhere to work, to be, that was outside of my home. Felt part of the artistic community again and it gave me a huge sense of belonging. I felt important for the first time in two years.’
Noelle Browne, actor/writer/director/facilitator, Dublin
‘It's an inspired programme… it has planted hundreds of creative seeds that will and have already grown and will continue to bear fruit for many artists…. I really believe creating the right conditions is all you have to do. Art and artists and connections and impulses and ideas and changing the world actions will all grow in the right conditions.’
Emma O’Grady, theatre maker, Galway
Gap Day is kindly Supported by the Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon.
