Residency in Rome – Circolo Scandinavo

For Sweden-based theatre artists, such as actors, directors, mimes, musical artists, performance artists, clowns, scenographers, lighting designers, mask designers, costume designers, sound designers, puppeteers or playwrights.

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Description about the residency

The Swedish Arts Grants Committee has entered a collaboration with Circolo Scandinavo in Rome and will offer a 1-month residency including a grant from 2026.

Circolo Scandinavo runs an international residency program for Nordic artists in all artistic disciplines. The residency is located in the beautiful and leafy area around the Aventine in central Rome, and offers private rooms, several work and common spaces, and a large garden. The area has several theatres and is within walking distance of some of the most important historical sites and museums in Rome, for inspiration and study.

Foto; Tina Pettersson, Swedish Arts Grants Committee

Exterior, Circolo Scandinavo

Since the 1970s, Circolo Scandinavo´s residency programme has offered an interdisciplinary residency programme for artistic and cultural practitioners with connections to the Nordic region. The association has, for 150 years, hosted artists and researchers from Scandinavia who wanted to work in Rome.

One of Circolo Scandinavo´s main tasks is to offer interdisciplinary residency programmes focused on art and culture, open to professionals in all artistic and cultural fields as well as to researchers in the arts and humanities. The residency offers time and space to develop one´s own artistic practice, but also encourages meetings with the other Nordic residents, and with other cultures and disciplines.

  • The residency offers a private bedroom (with two separate beds), as well as access to shared workspaces, a library, wifi, and a terrace for shared activities and dinners. The house also has a spacious kitchen where you can prepare your meals.

    A rehearsal room in a nearby block can be rented upon request.

    Foto: Tina Pettersson, Swedish Arts Grants Committee

    Interior (common room), Circolo Scandinavo

  • The residency period is one month between May and November 2026. You should indicate the desired period in the application.

  • The grant is aimed at professional theatre artists. To apply, you should have an artistic practice such as actor, director, mime, musical artist, performance artist, clown, set designer, lighting designer, mask designer, costume designer, sound designer, puppeteer, or dramaturge.

    Those active as writers and playwrights, are referred to the Swedish Authors´ Fund (Sveriges Författarfond).

  • The grant amount is 30,000 SEK. The grant will cover travel, living expenses and certain material costs during the residency. The residency must be applied for individually. If you wish to work together with someone, the bedroom can be shared by two people who work together.

    If you wish to share with a colleague, both submit a separate application and each receive a grant. Insurance is not included.

  • Circolo Scandinavo´s webpage (Öppnas i ett nytt fönster)

Application and reporting requirements

  • You must be a professional artist in the field of theatre.

    You have an artistic practice, for example, such as actor, director, mime, musical artist, performance artist, clown, scenographer, lighting designer, mask designer, costume designer, sound designer, puppeteer or playwright.

    To be considered a professional artist, you must earn a living entirely or partly from your artistic activities and regularly present your art to an audience or in an artistic context.

    You must be a resident in Sweden or practice most of your art here.

    You can be a foreign citizen and apply for our stipends and grants, but you must be a resident in Sweden or primarily practice your art here. If you are a Swedish citizen but live abroad, you must be able to demonstrate that most of your artistic activity takes place in Sweden.

    You must not be a student for more than 50 per cent of your time when an award decision is made.

    This means being enrolled in any type of studies, from undergraduate studies to doctoral studies and post-graduate education. You can be studying when you submit your application, but when a decision is made you cannot be enrolled for more than 50 per cent for a course or programme.

    You cannot receive tax-exempt grants for more than two consecutive years

    If you have received a two-year grant or two consecutive one-year grants, you cannot be awarded a new tax-exempt grant immediately after.

    You may not have any debts to the state or municipality that have been transferred for collection to the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogdemyndigheten), nor be declared bankrupt.

    You may not have tax or fee debts, or any other debts, that have been transferred to the Swedish Enforcement Authority and are being handled as a public collection matter.

    You must not have received de minimis aid exceeding a total of 300,000 euros during the last three-year period.

    Stipends and grants from the Swedish Arts Grants Committee are subject to the provisions of the European Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2031 on state funding, also known as de minimis aid.

  • The application for the residency is open once a year. See the application deadlines.

    You apply by logging in to “My pages”.

    In order to submit an application, you need to answer all the questions marked as mandatory in the form and attach work samples.

    If you work in a duo, you must each make an application and in the text indicate who you are collaborating with. Please note that you need to share the apartment if you are two people who intend to apply for a joint work stay.

    Applications must be submitted by 14.00 CET on the application deadline.

    Work samples are mandatory 
    Samples should be a movie file or a maximum of 10 images. It is important that you can be identified in the work sample if it is from a group performance. You can provide links to Vimeo, YouTube or a website as a supplement in the application form. Samples should not be older than five years. Make sure the links are working and specify passwords when needed.

    Number of files: 1-2 movie files or a maximum of 10 images.
    File formats:  mp4 or mov, or jpeg.
    Total file size: 250 mb

    You can submit your application on paper

    We recommend using our e-service to submit your application. It makes it easier for you to ensure that your application was registered and it allows you to follow your case via “My pages”.

    Application on paper

  • When we receive your application, we verify that you meet all the formal requirements. Members of the decision-making group for theatre will then read your application. The members are practising artists or experts in the field of theatre. At least three people read each application. The decision is made by the decision-making group for theatre.

    If a member has a conflict of interest in relation to an applicant, that member is forbidden from participating in the review process or award decision for that application.

    How we avoid conflicts of interest

    How is your decision made?

    We select grant recipients based on the quality of artistic activities and the applicant’s financial need. This means that we assess the quality of the work samples and reference material that you submit. At the same time, we make an assessment of your financial need. This can mean, for example, that we do not prioritise an applicant who has a high income or has recently received other grants or stipends.

    In our selection, we aim to distribute the grants to artists in different parts of the country and across a variety of artistic expressions.

  • The grant does not need to be reported financially, but the grant holder reports on the stay after returning home. The report must be submitted 1 month after the residency.

  • The grant is exempt from tax.

  • If you are awarded a grant for the guest accommodation, you must state in all communications about your stay that it was carried out with the support of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. Please use the wording with support of the Swedish Arts Grants Committee.”

    Use the Swedish Arts Grants Committee’s logo in the appropriate contexts.

    How to use our logo

Contact

Tina Pettersson

Senior Adviser – Theatre and Film, Head of International Theatre Programme

+46 8-506 550 58 (Opens in a New Window)

Frequently asked questions about the application