New grant funding raised our scholarship cap. ArtUniverse scholarships for programs like these have covered up to €500. This round, we go up to €800 per person.
Four programs at NIPAI (New International Performing Arts Institute). 8 funded places for applicants worldwide.One deadline: 11 June 2026.
The programs:
Choreography and Blocking in Performance
You stage work. You make blocking decisions every day. If those decisions are mostly instinct and habit – this program gives you a method. Spatial composition, movement logic, blocking as a directing tool. For choreographers, directors, and circus creators who build visual structure on stage. Also for dancers moving into choreography who want a framework, not just feel.
Ensemble Building Programme
A cast is people hired for one production. An ensemble is a group that creates together over time – shared language, trust, creative autonomy. This program is about how you build that. For directors, devising practitioners, physical theatre makers, and circus companies that want to stop starting from zero with every new project. Also for actors tired of being replaceable parts.
The Director and the Play
Not literary criticism. Practical analysis that changes how you prepare a production, how you talk to actors, how you make decisions under pressure in rehearsal. If your script preparation is mostly about “feel” – this gives you tools. For directors working with text-based theatre. Also for actors who want to understand the director’s job – and do their own homework better.
Digital Presence for Performing Artists
You need to be visible beyond the stage. But most advice out there is for content machines, not artists. This program is strategy and tools built for performers – actors, dancers, circus artists, small companies – who want to reach audiences without becoming something they’re not.
All four are 3-month programs in a distance format. You choose your intake within 2026.
If you direct or choreograph – start with Choreography and Blocking. If you lead a group or want to build one – Ensemble Building. If you act or direct text-based work – The Director and the Play. If nobody finds you online – Digital Presence for Performing Artists.
Past recipients:
We’ve funded artists from different countries and disciplines. Here’s one of them talking about the experience: watch on YouTube.
Who this is for
Working artists. Early- and mid-career professionals. Directors, choreographers, dancers, actors, circus artists, physical theatre practitioners. No degree needed. No CV padding. Show us your work and tell us why this program matters for what you’re doing now.
How to apply
One step: go to artuniverse.org/how-to-apply and fill in the form. It asks for your background, chosen program, preferred intake, and why this training matters for your practice right now.
You’ll also be asked to share a link to your work – Vimeo, YouTube, personal site, or a description of a recent project. Generic answers don’t get funded. Be specific – we read every word.
After we review your application, we work with each candidate individually. One panel. 8 places. Worldwide. We fund the clearest cases, not the saddest stories.
Deadline
11 June 2026, 23:59 CET. In previous rounds, we closed applications well before the deadline due to high volume. The panel starts reviewing the morning after. No extensions.
Questions
Email us at info@artuniverse.org. We answer specific questions quickly. If your question is answered on this page, we’ll point you to it – to save both our time. Deadline extensions: there are none.
