HERE4 2027: APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR OUR NEXT SUPPORTED SEASON OF NEW WORK
Three theatre companies. £1,000 each. Five nights on stage. And the support to make something worth seeing.
Proforca Theatre Company, in association with the Lion & Unicorn Theatre, is delighted to announce HERE4 2027, the next edition of our financially supported season of new theatre, taking place in September and October 2027.
Following the launch of Here | For in 2026, we're bringing the programme back with a new name, a renewed commitment to independent theatre companies and an open call for three companies ready to create and premiere brand-new work.
Applications open on Monday 9 November 2026.
WHAT IS HERE4?
Making theatre is hard enough. Making ambitious new work, getting it in front of an audience and finding a way to take it further can be harder still.
HERE4 exists to make some of that easier.
After more than ten years of making and producing our own work, we know the difference that the right support, at the right moment, can make. We also know how often talented companies are expected to carry the full financial and practical burden of putting on a show themselves.
HERE4 is our way of doing something about that.
We're looking for three independent theatre companies to create and premiere brand-new productions at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre, each receiving financial backing, rehearsal space, producing guidance and a supported public run.
This isn't a scratch night or a venue hire arrangement. It's an opportunity to make a complete piece of theatre, present it to paying audiences and think seriously about where it could go next.
WHAT'S ON OFFER?
Each selected company will receive:
£1,000 cash contribution towards creating their new show
One week of free rehearsal space at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre
A five-night public performance run, including a dedicated press night
Two days of technical and dress rehearsal time
A 50/50 box office split, with no venue guarantee exposure
PR and marketing support, including a 50% contribution towards PR costs
Access to heavily discounted photography and A/V packages
Mentorship and producing guidance from an award-winning, Offie-nominated team and industry mentors
Three independent productions will form part of a five-week season, alongside a brand-new production from Proforca Theatre Company.
WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?
We're particularly interested in theatre companies that have already begun to establish themselves and are looking for a meaningful next step.
Companies with a track record of making strong work. Artists with a clear creative identity, a new story they want to tell and an understanding of the audiences they want to reach.
We want to see work that is theatrical, story-led and commercially aware. Work that makes sense in the Lion & Unicorn Theatre but has ambitions beyond it, whether that's touring, transferring or developing into something bigger.
Applicants should have a producer attached, or someone within the company willing and able to take on that responsibility, alongside a realistic approach to production and marketing.
We're especially keen to hear from companies outside our existing networks and strongly encourage applications from LGBT+, working-class and Global Majority theatre-makers.
HOW TO APPLY
Applications open on Monday 9 November 2026 and close at 5pm on Sunday 10 January 2027.
Applicants will need to provide details of their company, their proposed show, their creative and production plans, and at least a first draft of their script.
Longlisted companies will be invited to pitch their work at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre in February, with final selections announced in March 2027.
We've also put together a dedicated HERE4 2027 webpage, including the full programme offer, eligibility criteria, selection timeline and a detailed Q&A to help companies decide whether this opportunity is right for them.
EXPLORE HERE4 2027 AND READ THE FULL Q&A
THE NEXT CHAPTER
When we launched Here | For, the ambition was simple: to offer the kind of support we'd have valued when we were finding our feet, and to give companies who are already making good work a better opportunity to make something even stronger.
That hasn't changed.
We want HERE4 to be a place where good ideas become proper productions, where companies can benefit from the experience we've built, and where new work gets the attention and opportunity it deserves.
We're looking forward to finding out what you've got planned.
HERE4 2027. Theatre worth leaving the house for.
Presented by Proforca Theatre Company in association with the Lion & Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town,