Victorian Government provides more support to live performance sector

The Victorian Government is providing more support for those employed in the live performance sector that have been impacted by recent COVID restrictions. The support program is open to those who work on stage and off, front of house and behind the scenes, across live performances such as music, theatre, opera, dance, comedy, and cabaret.

Victorian Minster for Creative Industries, Danny Pearson today opened the second round of the Live Performance Support program to help Victorian presenters and suppliers in the live performance industry who have been affected by event cancellations between 27th May and 2nd September this year.

The program will provide funding of up to $12,000 for eligible event presenters and up to $4,000 for suppliers who had been contracted to work on events and have lost income or incurred costs.

Victorian-based applicants who have lost scheduled work interstate are also eligible to apply.

Victorian Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson notes “we know how much work and preparation goes into the staging of a live performance event and how many people are impacted when an event has to be cancelled – that is why we are providing this tailored support.”

“Whether you work on stage or behind the scenes, if you have had an event cancelled during the recent lockdowns, I encourage you to apply for this second round of grants.”

“We value our live performance sector and know that it has been an incredibly challenging period – so we listened to industry feedback and updated the guidelines to reach more people.”

Delivered through Business Victoria, the Live Performance Support Program has two streams:

Presenters – open to live performance event presenters, including producers, promoters, venue owners and artists who promote their own shows. Applicants can apply for either $7000 or $5000 for one event, and a further $5000 for a second event. Suppliers – open to suppliers contracted to work on events, including performers, crew, technicians and engineers. Suppliers may be eligible for a grant of either $200 or $500 per event for up to 20 events. Suppliers do not need to be GST-registered.

The Live Performance Support Program is part of the Government’s $20 million Victorian Events Support Package.

In this second round, the program has been updated in response to industry feedback and to assist a wider range of affected event businesses and workers.

For eligibility details and to apply, visit business.vic.gov.au. Applications close on Wednesday 8th September 2021.