The NSW government has announced a $75million stimulus package for the live performance sector following a two-week extension of Greater Sydney’s lockdown.
The new support is designed to help performing arts organisations and live music venues continue paying staff and performers, and dispense support for loss of box office income due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Money will flow in two stages – immediately, to account for eligible organisations who were forced to cancel performances during the period of the public health orders, and post-restrictions for the purpose of funding rescheduled or new events.
Per Create NSW, eligible organisations include “performing arts organisations with heavy reliance on box office income, including not-for-profit performing arts companies who were staging, or scheduled to stage performances during the lockdown period, commercial producers and some live music venues”.
Applicants must provide evidence of having performances scheduled during the lockdown period, and detail average ticket prices in their submissions.
Applications are set to open on July 23, with more information about eligibility and the size of each individual bursary due closer to the date.
Greater Sydney will remain under lockdown restrictions until at least July 30 to stem its current outbreak of the Delta variant of COVID-19. The state recorded 97 locally transmitted cases in the last 24 hours.