Approval of Performances: Refund Scheme

Theatres and producers of professional performing arts can apply for the approval of performances aimed at:

• children (up to and including 15 years old)
• youth (up to and including 24 years old)
• outreach performances: performances for children, youth, and adults, which are performed in places where theatre is not normally staged, such as a library, a town square, or a children’s institution.

In addition, theatres, producers, and performers who have experience as performing arts curators can apply for a refund approval for professional international guest performances at festivals or other forms of guest performances in Denmark.

Theatres and producers of professional performing arts can apply for the approval of performances aimed at:

• children (up to and including 15 years old)
• youth (up to and including 24 years old)
• outreach performances: performances for children, youth, and adults, which are performed in places where theatre is not normally staged, such as a library, a town square, or a children’s institution.

In addition, theatres, producers, and performers who have experience as performing arts curators can apply for a refund approval for professional international guest performances at festivals or other forms of guest performances in Denmark.

Which performances are automatically approved for refund?

Performances produced with subsidies under the Performing Arts Act are automatically approved for refund and do not need to apply. This applies, for example, to performances produced with subsidies from The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts Project Funding.

Please note that the refund approval will expire five theatrical seasons after the theatre’s subsidies under the Performing Arts Act have ended. If an approved performance is transferred to a theatre that does not receive subsidies under the Performing Arts Act, the refund approval expires five theatrical seasons after the transfer. The theatre must then apply for a new refund approval.

A refund approval will apply to one or more theatrical seasons at a time. A theatrical season runs from 1st July to 30th June.

The purpose of the Refund Scheme is to provide municipalities and non-municipal institutions in Denmark with an incentive to purchase refund-approved performances, thereby ensuring that performances of a professional quality are available throughout the country.

The application process involves an assessment of a written application. The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts Project Funding conducts a professional performing arts assessment of the individual performance.

Emphasis will be placed on the qualitative and theatrical standards of the performance in relation to the targeted age group.

Performing arts assessment

The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts Project Funding assesses each performance based on a definition of what it means to be a professional and what is meant by performing arts.

When is one considered professional?

The main participants in the performance (e.g., director/set designer/choreographer, as well as a significant portion of the performers such as actors, dancers, etc.) must be professionals by virtue of:

• professional performing arts training from a government-recognised educational institution or

• achievement or career based on skills earned through activities in performing arts.

Amateurs may participate in a performance. The determining factor is:

• that the artistic responsibility lies with professional artistic management, and
• that the use of amateurs is artistically justified.

What is performing arts?

A performance is performing arts when:

• it is based on a cohesive artistic concept (e.g., a dramaturgical narrative, a visual universe, a performative idea, choreographic expression, or similar)

Qualitative standard

In assessing the qualitative standard of the performance, the committee will focus on:

• The idea and artistic intention of the performance.
• Dramaturgy, staging and direction.
• The coherence between staging and content.
• The ability to translate content into a specifically chosen expression.
• The stage skills of the performers.
• The relationship with the audience and considerations regarding the target age group.
• That the artistic necessity of the performance is expressed.

You must submit your application via our grants portal, which you can find on this page – we do not accept physical applications.

Once you have created your profile on our grants portal, you can leave and access the portal at any time to check if you have enclosed all the correct documents as well as information before submitting your application.

You must attach the following documents:

• A mandatory standard document with information regarding your performance, which you attach to the electronic application form in the Grant Portal. You must use our template, which you can download here.
• For international guest performances: You MUST submit a video link of the entire performance for which you are applying for approval.
• For Danish performances: You CAN submit a video link of the entire performance for which you are applying for approval.
• CVs of the artistic participants (we allow a maximum of 1 page per person, preferably with a photo and a description of the participants' function within the performance).

In accordance with the regulations, the committee must process the applications based on the written description of the performances. It is, therefore, important that the performances are thoroughly described or contain a video link that provides an accurate idea of the performance.

Please be aware that you must submit an electronic application regarding each performance for which you are seeking refund approval.

If the performance has previously been approved for a refund, this must be stated in the electronic application.

If you apply with a performance that has previously been rejected to the Refund Scheme, you must explain how the performance has evolved since your previous application.

Please be aware of the following:

• Your attachments must not exceed a total of 25 MB.
• We can only receive attachments in the following formats: PDF, Word, MP3, and MP4. We do not accept ZIP files.
• You cannot send additional attachments once the deadline closes. You can, however, within the application period edit your current application and submit a new version. Although, if you submit your application without attachments, you must then submit a new and full application.
• The committee will only process your most recently submitted application.
• Your application must contain all mandatory documents and attachments in order to be processed by the committee. Additional documents besides what is described in the application guide will not be considered in the assessment of your application.
• You are responsible for ensuring that the application form is filled in correctly and that all requested documents are attached.
• You cannot transfer your application – and any approvals – to another legal entity, person or company. Therefore, it is important that you clarify who the applicant is before submitting your application.
• Applicants without Danish MitID must apply using a dedicated login to the Grant Portal. If you do not already have a login, please order one using this form. 

You can only apply for approval for fully produced performances.

You will receive a response to your application no later than 8 weeks after the application deadline.

Up until then, all applications will be prepared and sent to the committee for perusal and processing. Once decisions have been made on all applications in the same application round, the refund allocations will be published on our website (in Danish).

The names of all applicants are made public on our website in the committees’ minutes (in Danish).

Once you have submitted your electronic application, you will immediately see a receipt on your screen. You will not receive this receipt in an email.

You can see and follow the process of your application in the Grant Portal under 'My Applications'.

It is your responsibility to ensure that the necessary documents are included so remember to go through your application carefully. You can edit your application even if you have already submitted it, as long as you do so before the deadline! If you edit a submitted application, you must again make sure that all necessary documents are included. The committee deals exclusively with the most recently submitted application.

All communication regarding your application takes place through the grants portal. If you need to contact a case officer in the secretariat, you have to use the contact form via your application in the Grant Portal.

Decisions are made in accordance with

• Section 3,  (1), cf. (2)2 and (3) of the Danish Act on the Danish Arts Foundation’s Activities (Act No. 458 of May 8, 2013)
• Executive Order on the refund of non-municipal institutions' expenses for the purchase of refund-approved performances of children's theatre and performing arts for young people Section 3 and 4.
• Executive Order on the governmental refund of municipalities' expenses for the purchase of refund-approved performances of children's theatre and outreach theatre Section 3 through 6.

The Danish Arts Foundation’s Committee for Performing Arts will assess the applications as well as make the final decision on which performances will be approved for refund.