Gap Day

Gap Day gives professional freelance theatre practitioners across the island of Ireland paid time to think, dream and plan. This year we're supporting 45 artists across the island - you can see who here.

A Gap Day enables directors, devisors/makers, writers, designers, production managers and creative producers 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.

Gap Day has been led by Lian Bell and Mermaid since 2015, and supported over 150 artists to date.

Participants get

• paid for their time taking Gap Days
• a workspace at an arts centre or cultural building local to them for their Gap Day
• 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 monthly drop-in online gatherings
• a small stipend to pay an Artist's Friend for a creative conversation
• 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.

Further Details

Applications are closed for 2022 but you can still read the FAQ document here if you’re interested in finding out more about the programme.

If you want to be kept up to date with Gap Day, follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

If you are interested in becoming a Gap Day host, download the hosting information here.

If you would like information on Gap Exchange, the international residency programme, click here.