Small Grants Fund 2026 – an update from recipient Jules Horne

Jules is an award-winning playwright with credits with BBC Radio 4, BBC Radio 5 and BBC Scotland, Nutshell Theatre, and the Traverse Theatre. Her short films on aspects of Borders life include The Ba, Unconformity and Remeandering.  

“The Small Grants Fund has bought me time to progress my touring theatre project, Macmillan’s Marvellous Machine. I got a grounding in producer tasks from Clare Prenton, secured a director and I prepared a Touring Proposal for approaching venues, a Marketing Pack with concept visuals and assets, Partnership Map, Sustainability & Touring Framework, and Provisional Technical Specification, while meanwhile working on a Creative Scotland funding application – I wouldn’t have been able to afford to take the time to do this focused work otherwise.   

The funding has also allowed me to reconnect with a director as commissioned writer, giving me greater scope for creative input using other skills, e.g. design, sound. This is creatively satisfying and will help to make low-budget rural touring more feasible.   

If this model works, then I can use it for future plays and others which have been commissioned and written but not yet produced. I will write with my own production parameters in mind from the outset and begin to bring in other practical and creative skills and people. I learned that I enjoy working on production aspects as a natural development of writing and will be able to focus on developing my Scots language writing and spoken word.”