The Seaborn, Broughton & Walford (S,B&W) Foundation has awarded $400,000 in grants to support 19 performing arts projects scheduled for 2027, marking the Foundation’s 40th anniversary year.
Established in 1986 to assist the performing arts throughout Australia, the Foundation announced the 2026 grants at a 40th anniversary event attended by performing arts practitioners, supporters and successful applicants from across the country.
S,B&W Foundation President Peter Lowry AM congratulated the recipients and thanked the Grants Panel, which selected the successful applicants from more than 100 entries — a 40 percent increase on the previous year. The grants include 10 individual recipients, seven organisations and two Foundation Directed Grants.
Lowry also acknowledged the Foundation’s Friends, a community of more than 1,000 performing arts supporters who contribute to its ongoing mission.
The anniversary event was held at the UUSC Club, a venue chosen in honour of Foundation founder Dr Rodney Seaborn AO OBE, who was a member and had selected the venue for previous anniversary celebrations. Artist Paul Delprat, a friend of Dr Seaborn, proposed a toast to the Foundation’s founder, while the Hon Ben Franklin MLC, President of the State Legislative Council and a former Arts Minister, proposed a toast to the S,B&W Foundation.
The event was hosted by Simon Moore OAM, radio presenter, producer and Chair of the Board of Directors at 2MBS Fine Music. The S,B&W Foundation sponsors two of the station’s performing arts programs, Stage & Screen and In Conversation.
Entertainment was provided by composer and writer Steven Kramer, whose Phar Lap – The Electro-Swing Musical previously received Foundation support. Kramer and cast member Justin Smith performed “Heart” from the production. Kramer also confirmed that Phar Lap will return to Carriageworks in July 2027 before embarking on a national tour.
The 2026 S,B&W Foundation grant recipients are:
Individual Grants
Jack Bolton (ACT)
To support his Master of Opera Singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipzig, Germany, providing advanced vocal training, performance opportunities and professional development.
Patrick Cronin (Vic)
To support the development of The Journey, an immersive theatre experience for young audiences, combining music, storytelling and 360-degree sound to take children on an imaginative journey through unconventional performance spaces.
Jeremy Goldstein (NSW)
To support the development of Spider Love, a new theatre work exploring working-class queer identity, masculinity, friendship and belonging through poetry, documentary testimony and personal histories.
Melinda Hole (NSW)
To support international professional development, mentorship and artistic exchange in Australia, Germany and Austria, strengthening her career as a conductor and fostering international musical connections.
Alon Ilsar (Vic)
To develop Cymbalism, an innovative new performance language combining percussion, movement, interactive visuals and his custom-designed electronic instrument, the AirSticks.
Caroline Lee (Vic)
To support the creative development of Exhibition, a multidisciplinary theatre work exploring the lives and artistic legacies of marginalised female artists through performance, text and design.
Eugene Lynch (NSW)
To support his interstate residency in Melbourne while directing Victorian Opera’s 2027 production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, marking his debut with the company.
Jessica Nicholls (SA)
To support the international tour of Shake Shake Theatre’s puppet production, The Story of Mr B, to the Back to Ours Festival in Hull, England, bringing Australian puppetry to young audiences and families.
Augusta Supple (NSW)
To support Parramatta’s Lit! Play Development Program, providing paid opportunities for Western Sydney playwrights and theatre-makers to develop new Australian works through workshops and public readings.
Solomon Thomas (NSW)
To support the development of The Shed, an innovative theatre work combining live performance, documentary interviews, field recordings and soundscapes in the form of a true-crime podcast.
Organisation Grants
Canberra Youth Theatre (ACT)
To support New Stories, Young Voices, bringing two new Australian plays by emerging playwrights Sonia Dodd and Sarah Matthews to the stage in 2027, while providing professional opportunities for young theatre-makers.
Country Arts South Australia (SA)
To support Kumarangk: Sisterhood, a Ngarrindjeri-led theatre production telling the true story of the women who resisted the construction of the Hindmarsh Island Bridge, celebrating their leadership, cultural knowledge and connection to Country.
Ensemble Offspring (NSW)
To support a regional tour of Bila’s Big Dance, a First Nations musical storytelling experience for children, sharing contemporary Indigenous music and stories with audiences in regional communities.
PYT Fairfield (NSW)
To support a contemporary reimagining of The Ratbags, the company’s inaugural 1987 production, bringing together its original playwright, Donna Abela, and emerging artists from the Fairfield community to celebrate PYT’s 40th anniversary.
RaCreate Productions (NSW)
To support the world premiere of Interior Exterior, a new Australian play exploring migration, family relationships and cultural identity, to be presented as part of Griffin Theatre Company’s 2027 Lookout program.
Sydney Chamber Opera (NSW)
To support the fully staged world premiere of The Raft, a new Australian chamber opera by Cathy Milliken, exploring themes of exile, migration, survival and human compassion.
Sydney Opera House Trust (NSW)
To support Kids Sensory Music Playtime, an accessible live music program introducing children with sensory and physical disabilities to classical music and orchestral instruments through interactive performances.
Foundation Directed Grants
Foundation Directed Grants are awarded at the discretion of the Foundation to recognise organisations whose ongoing work embodies the philanthropic vision of founder Dr Rodney Seaborn AO OBE.
ATYP – Hayden Tonazzi (NSW)
This Foundation Directed Grant recognises the Australian Theatre for Young People’s longstanding contribution to the Australian performing arts. For more than 60 years, ATYP has nurtured generations of young actors, writers and theatre-makers, providing professional training, creative opportunities and pathways into the industry.
Australian Theatre Live – Grant Dodwell (NSW)
This Foundation Directed Grant recognises Australian Theatre Live’s contribution to the accessibility and preservation of Australian theatre. Through the professional recording and distribution of full-length stage productions, Australian Theatre Live has enabled Australian theatre to reach audiences across Australia and internationally, while preserving a record of contemporary performance for future generations.
For more information about the Seaborn, Broughton & Walford Foundation and its grant programs, visit https://sbwfoundation.com.
