PROGRAMMES: Outdoor Arts Development Scheme
START and SUSTAIN: Outdoor Arts Development Scheme
SO Festival launched the Outdoor Arts Development Scheme last year as part of the Start and Sustain Programme. Now entering its second year, the scheme continues its commitment to supporting artists living and/or working in Lincolnshire who are ready to develop their craft and explore ideas designed for outdoor public spaces.
Over the course of the year, participating artists receive tailored support including training opportunities, national go-sees and dedicated idea development. We are proud to champion local creatives, helping them connect their work with the communities and places we serve across the Lincolnshire coast.
The launch year received an excellent response, and we are delighted to be supporting three talented Lincolnshire-based artists as they grow their skills, creativity and artistic practice. Scroll down to find out about applying for 2026/27.
A Year-Long Opportunity for Emerging Lincolnshire Artists
Are you ready to take your creativity outdoors?
SO Festival and Magna Vitae are supporting the next generation of artists to bring bold, exciting work into public spaces across Lincolnshire.
Whether you’re a performer, dancer, musician, circus artist, street theatre maker, visual artist or installation creator, this scheme is designed to help you grow, experiment and flourish.
What We Offer
A personalised package of support which may include:
- National Go-Sees and industry visits
- Specialist training and talks
- Up to two years Outdoor Arts UK membership
- Match-funded development costs
- Producing support from the SO Festival team
- Mentorship from an experienced practitioner
- Opportunities to present at SO Festival
- Connections to other Lincolnshire festivals
This is your development journey, tailored for you.
Who We’re Looking For
We want to hear from emerging artists, within your first five years of practice, who:
- Live or work in Lincolnshire
- Are excited to create work for outdoor or public spaces
- Want to grow skills, test ideas or develop new projects
- Are curious, ambitious and community‑minded
Who We Cannot Support
Artists who are not based or have a strong connection to Lincolnshire
Artists who are not interested in Outdoor Art or exclusively work indoors
Activities that do not consider access
Activities where fair pay and working hours are not considered
How to Apply
A written or video application (around 5 minutes). Tell us:
- About you and/or your company
- Why you want to be a Supported Artist
- What you’d like to learn or develop
- Any ideas or projects you hope to explore
- Any extra information you want us to know
- Optional: Links to previous work, CV or portfolio
Please email sofestival@mvtlc.org with any questions with Outdoor Arts Development Scheme in the subject line.
Key Dates
- Applications open: 13 March 2026
- Applications close: 3 April 2026
- Online interviews: 14–15 April 2026
- Scheme starts: Early May 2026 (runs for one year)
Ready to Apply?
Here are our Supported Artists for 2025/2026
Barmpot Theatre are an award-winning theatre company based in Lincolnshire. They believe every child in the UK deserves equal access to the arts and culture. Over 10 years they have built a reputation for taking high-quality family theatre to rural communities, performing in both theatres and non-traditional spaces. Their signature style combines physical performance, puppetry and original music, with accessibility at its heart. We are passionate about telling untold Lincolnshire stories, and contributing to the development of Lincolnshire’s cultural ecology.
As part of SO Festival’s Outdoor Arts Development scheme, we hope to gain more knowledge around creating performances for outdoor settings, working in protected landscapes, and developing a new outdoor performance installation for family audiences.
Link to the Barmpot Theatre website.
Read about Jane’s trip to Passage Festival
Samuel is an actor, performer, and puppeteer based in North East Lincolnshire. He studied Drama and Theatre at the University of Lincoln and graduated with a First Class Degree. Alongside his career as an actor, Samuel has built his skills as a puppeteer. Samuel is a founding member of Kazbah Theatre, puppeteering and co-creating performances with fellow Kazbah puppeteers. His work to date with Kazbah has been predominantly for outdoor festivals and family events in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire.
Samuel is delighted to be a SO Festival Supported Artist. He hopes to build on his current skills as a puppeteer and performer in outdoor performance, to learn about different companies and practitioners and creating his own outdoor work.
Ryan Gilmartin is Lincolnshire born and bred and loves making work for and about the people of Lincolnshire.
His projects bring meaningful experiences into everyday places where people already gather, such as cafes, shops and pubs, with the aim of breaking down barriers to engagement with the arts.
As an award-winning artist (including four Arts Council England grants) he uses creative projects to help people see, and act on, the good in themselves and in each other.
Each of his projects helps people ask themselves three big questions:
- Who am I?
- Where am I?
- Where do I belong?
He would like the Outdoor Arts Scheme to stretch his practice further and explore making work that can be fully outdoors and pop-up and participatory in nature. He aims to explore a few outdoor ideas that mix theatre, visual art and installation, work that is more ‘guerrilla’ and pop-up in nature.
If you’re interested in taking part in one of our programmes, projects or opportunities
please email sofestival@mvtlc.org
