THE FREDDIE J GIBSON FELLOWSHIP, THE GLORIAS FELLOWSHIP AND THE LOUDON SAINTHILL FELLOWSHIP
Applications close on Sunday 31st August at 11:59pm
NIDA is committed to supporting graduates and industry practitioners in developing their practice in Australia and abroad through our Grants and Fellowships initiatives.
NIDA and the Fellowship trustees are proud to announce The Freddie J Gibson, The Glorias and The Loudon Sainthill Fellowship are all open now for applications.
The Freddie J Gibson Fellowship supports NIDA alumni to undertake international study or professional development in directing or related areas. It offers up to $30,000 to cover travel, accommodation and associated expenses. The Fellowship is designed to enable graduates to pursue career-defining experiences abroad and return with fresh insight, skills and artistic perspective to contribute to the Australian arts sector.
New in 2026: The Freddie J Gibson Fellowship is now open to all NIDA alumni who have completed a Bachelor or Master of Fine Arts and have at least three years of professional experience in the performing arts – not only those working as directors. This change broadens the scope of the Fellowship and reflects the diverse professional journeys of NIDA graduates across the creative industries.
Applicants may propose a wide range of international activities, including formal study, creative attachments, mentorships, festival participation, or practice-based research – so long as the opportunity offers access to work, training or ideas not readily available in Australia.
The Trustees of The Gloria Payten Foundation and Gloria Dawn Foundation are pleased to announce that applications are open for alumni and the arts industry for The Glorias Fellowships for 2025.
These annual Fellowships aim to benefit the Australian performing arts by offering talented professional actors and directors in theatre, film and television the chance to explore and develop their artistic pursuits through international travel and study.
On their return to work in Australia, Gloria’s Fellowship recipients share their new-found skills and knowledge with the broader arts community, providing an ongoing benefit. This year there will be three Fellowships available, with up to $22,000 available per award.
Both The Gloria Payten Foundation and The Gloria Dawn Foundation represent the entire estate of Gloria Payten, a leading theatrical agent, who established International Casting Service in 1960. It was Gloria’s intention to honour the memory of Gloria Dawn, one of Australia’s foremost actresses, through these Foundations.
Loudon Sainthill (1918-1969) was an Australian artist and set and costume designer. Loudon was born in Hobart, Tasmania and spent his early school years in Melbourne. He was greatly influenced by the theatre after seeing performances of Colonel W. de Basil’s Monte Carlo Russian Ballet in the late 1930s.
Established through a bequest by his partner Harry Tatlock Miller (1913-1989), The Loudon Sainthill Fellowship enables young professional Australian designers to travel abroad. An exhibition of Loudon Sainthill’s paintings in London in 1973 helped to raise money for the Fellowship.
The Fellowship is designed to enable young Australian professional designers of theatre, ballet, or opera to travel abroad, and so further their careers.