Services

Productions and R&D

“Grace is one of the most reliable, hard working and passionate producers I’ve ever worked with. She goes above and beyond. The theatre scene would be far less twinkly without Grace Dickson in it.”

Julia Grogan, Writer & Performer

GDP is always on the hunt for innovative and fresh new work to get to the stage. We always find the best collaborations come when the producer is involved from the very start of a process, creatively guiding and curating the journey of a project.

GDP is currently supporting the research and development of several new projects, all of which have come about in different ways – new writer’s commissions, funded R&Ds to interrogate scripts and develop design and the world of the play, or working towards getting shows to the next step. It’s important to us to build long term collaborations with artists across a body of work.

We are always looking for exciting new work to sink our teeth into. If you have a (completed) script or sharing, please don’t hesitate to get in touch and we’ll do our best to attend if we think it could be a GDP project or something we can support with.

Please consider that we are the right producer for your work before you send anything to us – you can find our mission statement here

Get in touch with submissions to hello@gracedicksonproductions.co.uk

General Management

“I’ve worked with Grace on a number of projects, small & large. She is a very organised, reliable and personable member of the GM team; building good relationships, is attentive to detail and works well to deadlines. I’d work with her again anytime!”

Tara Finney, Producer of TFP and Founder of LIVE General Management

“Grace is that rare operator who solves problems before they even materialise. She has immaculate attention to detail, patience, intelligence, and a thorough knowledge of the performing arts sector. These qualities make her a great producer and general manager. She worked for me to general manage an Off West End show, and I’d hire her again in a heartbeat.”

Hannah Elsy, Producer of HEP and Founder of Stageless

Have a project in place but need some producing support? Secured some funding but want to hand over the budget management reins? Want some specific help in certain areas of production? Need some guidance and support in making your project more accessible? Looking to embed wellbeing and inclusion practices into your work?

Since launching her sister company, HD General Management, alongside fellow producer Ameena Hamid in January 2023, Grace has managed several significant projects across venues in the West End, Edinburgh Fringe and across the UK, with budgets ranging as high as £250k. Recent projects general managed by HDGM include For Tonight, A New Musical (Adelphi Theatre), Bangers by Danusia Samal (Paines Plough Roundabout), Blowhole by Benjamin Salmon (Pleasance) and Gentlemen by Matt Parvin (Arcola).

As well as offering traditional project delivery support to producers, venues, agencies and freelancers in a bespoke ‘pick and mix’ model, HDGM is dedicated to delivering better wellbeing, access, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and Human Resource services in the arts. We place pastoral support at the heart of our work, as it’s clear there is a need to find ways to revise working practice from the top down.

You can see all of HDGM’s services and mission on our website.

Other Services

GDP exists to support artists, no matter what stage of your career. As part of this, we understand how invaluable seeking advice and having sounding boards are throughout creative processes.

Get in touch about any of these services with grace@gracedicksonproductions.co.uk

Consultancy

“Grace has been a supportive, insightful, and approachable advisor on Sightlines – incredibly grateful to have had her working on our debut festival as her wealth of experience and knowledge was essential to the success of the project.”

Lydia Harrison, Producer of Sightlines Festival

Navigating the cultural industries, especially as an early career artist, can be daunting. We find consulting with experienced professionals to be one of the most useful ways of sharing and interrogating best practice. 

We’ve offered bespoke consultancy to a range of artists and companies, such as feedback on Arts Council bids, organisational development strategy, budget interrogation, contract templating, tour booking support, HR advice and more. Additionally (and almost more importantly) we are regularly a peer with whom to brainstorm solutions and discuss the changing landscape.

Get in touch if you think GDP can support you!

Bid Writing

“I had the good fortune of working with Grace on two successful Arts Council England under-£15k bids this year. Grace did a magnificent job of making sense of the materials I shared with her and wrote the bids very efficiently. Grace’s dual skillset as a producer and as a grant writer means she not only understands the language needed to successfully convey your project to the granting body, but also how to best ensure the project and related activity fits the remit of the application. I highly recommend Grace to anyone applying to Arts Council and similar grant opportunities, whether it is your first bid or you are a seasoned professional.”

Olivia Munk, Producer at ZooCo & Artistic Director of Part of the Main

We have a huge amount of experience applying successfully for funding across a range of income streams, including trusts & foundations, private donations, and events. In particular, in just two years of experience (1.5 of which were during the coronavirus pandemic) we have been a part of writing just over £700,000 worth of successful Arts Council England applications – all of which has gone directly to supporting artists to create bold new work, and to ensure stability through these uncertain times for the sector.

We offer a fundraising bid writing service, with a focus on Arts Council England and other public trusts. Do get in touch to find out more!

Workshops

Since graduating, Grace has delivered multiple introductory workshops to producing, particularly to universities including University of Nottingham, University of York and University of Glasgow.

Grace has also been leading budget workshops at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts since she graduated, covering budget creation, cashflow management, Arts Council budgets and touring budgets. Alongside these, Grace regularly runs 1-1 budget sessions with Mountview’s producing cohorts, and has spoken on panels for organisations including Stage One.

Mentoring

“I’ve had the pleasure to work with Grace as both a mentee and an Assistant Producer on various projects over the past two years. The skills I have acquired as a rising Producer have been invaluable. Collaborating with Grace, has offered freedom and confidence when exploring creative routes within my own producing practice. Her calm nature, attention to detail and dedication to the craft is something I will forever aspire to accomplish within my career.”

Belinda Clarke, Participation Producer at Frantic Assembly

Producing can be really lonely work, so having a network of peers and mentors is the most invaluable tool. We’ve been lucky enough to have been mentored by a number of incredibly generous and experienced industry leaders, who have played a huge part in the growth of GDP and Grace’s individual producing practice. So we can appreciate just how useful mentoring can be to emerging producers.

Although a small team, we’re always keen to meet other producers and offer advice where we can. Please do get in touch if you need some friendly advice, or just fancy a natter with a fellow emerging producer!

Production Accountancy

Grace has a background in maths and finance, having studied BSc Mathematics at University of Edinburgh and worked in a multitude of finance roles across a spectrum of industries. Grace is currently studying for an AAT qualification, and currently works as Accounts Assistant at Runaway Entertainment where she runs payroll and does bookkeeping for West End and touring productions including Newsies, 2:22 A Ghost Story and Girl From The North Country.

We understand how intimidating company finance and reporting can be, and we hope to relieve the burden of these accountancy tasks from early career artists, in order to let them focus on their work.

We can offer the following support to early career companies:

• Preparing annual accounts for Companies House
• Budget and cashflow preparation
• Theatre Tax Relief calculations
• Payroll
• Production reporting accounts
• Running accounts payable
• Bookkeeping

Please note that GDP is not an accredited accountancy service, nor can we officially audit company accounts.