Catalyst for creative enterprise: annual seed fund from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland empowers artists to turn ideas into reality
From sustainable dancewear and boundary-pushing theatre to music reaching rural communities, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Make It Happen Fund is a catalyst for creative enterprise
This year, 20 emerging artists who are recent RCS graduates have each received £1,500 from the annual seed fund to bring their ideas to life.
Established in 2018, Make It Happen is designed to give graduates financial resources to experiment and launch new projects and collaborations.
This year’s recipients include Ruby Ophelia Chisholm-Beyer, who graduated from the BA Modern Ballet degree programme this summer, who is the driving force behind StudioReclaimed, a new business dedicated to sourcing, styling and re-selling high-quality, second-hand dancewear.
Ruby’s aim is to promote circular fashion and environmental responsibility within the dance community: “Make It Happen funding will enable StudioReclaimed to develop from a small initiative into a sustainable fashion project,” said Ruby.
“The support allows me to curate unique dancewear pieces, build my brand and expand its online presence, helping to promote individuality, creativity and conscious fashion within the dance community.”
Euan Munro, who graduated from the BA Acting degree in 2023, will use Make It Happen funding for Playback, a tragicomic new play based on his childhood as a YouTube star that blends live performance with the original videos, comments and messages.
Described as ‘a hilarious and heartbreaking story of innocence, obsession and an identity uploaded to the world’, Playback asks what it costs to grow up for an audience – and what happens when strangers remember your childhood better than you do.
“Thanks to the Make It Happen Fund, we’ll enjoy the chance to develop Playback much further – pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve technically, exploring how YouTube footage can function as a character on stage, and how narrative can shift between screen and body,” said Euan.
Trumpet player Lucy Amos, who graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Performance in 2024, is one third of Eala Brass, which will stage concerts in schools in the Scottish Highlands to inspire young people through live performance and hands-on music-making.
The trio will also provide creative workshops designed to build confidence, spark curiosity and make high-quality live music accessible to rural communities.
Lucy said: “Make It Happen funding is helping us challenge stereotypes and broaden perceptions of who belongs in brass playing. As an all-female trio, we’re passionate about showing young people, especially girls, that there’s space for everyone in music no matter where you come from.
“This support enables us to bring that message to life in the Highlands, creating inclusive, inspiring experiences for the next generation of musicians.”
Deborah Keogh, Head of Engagement at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland said: “Early-career funding is essential for emerging artists and helps fuel the future for the creative industries.
“Seed funding gives our recent graduates the time and space to experiment and develop ideas that might otherwise never leave the page.
“It’s how new projects and collaborations are born and a way to ensure fresh voices make their mark on the sector.
“RCS is a deeply entrepreneurial community. We encourage artists not to wait for opportunities, but to make their own work, build impact and create sustainable careers and businesses. The creative industries are a vital driver of Scotland’s economy but they’re also essential to our social fabric.”
Meet this year’s Make It Happen recipients
Elizabeth Anderson, Master of Arts Acting Classical and Contemporary Text, 2025
The Cooking Contest is a darkly comic play set during a chaotic dinner party where Evelyn and her fiancé, Daz, compete to prove who’s the better cook. Beneath the burnt starters and relentless banter, a long-buried family secret resurfaces. As the evening unravels, humour and hostility collide, exposing a family held together by guilt, denial, and emotional avoidance.
Elizabeth said: “Funding will take me a vital step closer to releasing my own work and establishing myself as a professional actor and writer.
“With this support, I’ll dedicate time to researching and developing my writing, strengthening the narrative, structure and thematic clarity of the piece.
“It will also allow me to collaborate closely with brilliant creatives in the room, refining the material through exploration, discussion and experimentation, ultimately laying the groundwork for a fully realised production.”
Gregor Black, Bachelor of Arts Traditional Music, 2023
Gregor will commission a new piece of music written for clàrsach, guzheng and bodhrán/percussion, to be premiered at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival in April 2026.
Gregor will work alongside the award-winning Hong Kong-based guzheng player, Wan Xing, and internationally acclaimed Glasgow-based harpist, Eleanor Dunsdon.
Gregor said: “I hope that this new piece will serve to bring something new and exciting to the repertoire of traditional music. We are all very excited to create new and innovative music together.
“Having the chance to showcase on an international stage is invaluable for the trajectory of our trio and a fantastic experience!”
John Black and Adam Walsh, Bachelor of Arts Filmmaking, 2023
Busy / Quiet is a Greek weird wave-inspired short film about two chefs who – no matter how hard they try – can’t leave their kitchen. Soon, they realise they’re trapped in a limbo-like state.
Busy / Quiet seeks to spark conversations surrounding labour and identity. The film critiques the exploitative nature of service industry jobs and asks what it means to live a life defined by your work.
John said: “We’ve been developing Busy / Quiet for over a year now and are thrilled to receive support from the Make It Happen fund to bring this piece to life.
“It means we can pay our team for their hard work and submit the film to festivals in the new year. We hope the film highlights the importance of hospitality workers, who are the backbone of the service industry.”
Kate Bradley, Bachelor of Arts Contemporary Performance Practice, 2024
Human Doings is a performance intersecting spoken word and movement to explore the constant demand for productivity, the deep exhaustion we feel, and the hope that we can return to our natural rhythms.
Performance artists Kate Bradley and Jen Kelly collaborate in reaction to the Anthropocene, an age that has absorbed us in a ‘business as usual’ culture, and makes us forget that we are human beings, not doings.
Kate said: “I’m a multi-disciplinary performance artist from Gateshead now based in Glasgow, working as a maker, performer, facilitator, designer and technician in DIY and experimental settings.
“This funding is crucial – as working-class artists, we cannot afford to create for free. Opportunities like this are necessary for class diversity in the arts.”
Angelique Celine, Master of Arts Psychology in the Arts (Music), 2025
Through the lens of Scottish immigration to 19th-Century America, this musical weaves together Scottish traditional music to tell the story of Isla and Angus: two siblings torn apart by the conflict of heritage and assimilation.
While Isla clings to her culture, Angus buries his past in pursuit of the American Dream, raising the timeless question: Do we lose ourselves to belong, or can we stay true to who we are?
Angelique said: “The Make It Happen Fund has assisted greatly in helping this musical come to life by supporting both script development and workshops with musicians, actors and mentors.
“This funding is an essential step in turning imagination into creation, by bringing the story off the page and into a shared and collaborative experience.”
Amy Clark and Noa Ferder, Bachelor of Arts Contemporary Performance Practice, 2025
That’s It. is a ‘post-structural-post-modern-post-human-post-apocalyptic-post-minimalist-post-truth performance’. It’s a funny, playful and chaotic exploration of the role art has in our time, and the relationship between art and society in crisis.
Amy said: “The Make It Happen Fund will support us in developing That’s It. into a fully realised, professional performance. It will support a one-week residency at Strangefield in March 2026, in which we will be focusing on the dramaturgy of the piece and deepening ideas we began exploring at previous residency at Battersea Arts Centre, London.”
Livie Dalee, Bachelor of Arts Acting, 2025
Edgelands is a two-hander play about two teenage loud-mouthed outsiders who make a pact to leave their town together. Following themes of friendship, addiction and consent, it explores the complexities of sexual assault.
Livie said: “The support of the Make It Happen Fund is going to help me grow immensely and I have already gained so much confidence in the future of this project. This opportunity means I will be able to professionally develop my play through the support and collaboration of various theatre companies and artists. It also means I will evolve my practice as a writer/creator as well as an actor.”
Tattie Chater Davies, Bachelor of Arts Contemporary Performance Practice, 2024
TATIANA is a live solo performance that invites the audience into the den of a creature – part woman, part wolf – who communicates through storytelling, sound and song.
Tattie said: “This award will fund my artist’s fee, sound production lessons and essential hardware, culminating in a public performance of the completed piece.
“Funding is supporting my growth as a sound artist interested in shaping bass-heavy and rich sound that retains intimacy of narrative voice, designed to unite audiences in large-scale performances spaces like clubs and warehouses. This support marks an important step in developing a sustainable, self-directed creative practice.”
Isabella Gonzalez Diaz, Bachelor of Music Performance (French horn), 2024
Musica Unita is a music education programme, dedicated to advancing music education by delivering innovative training, inspiring workshops and collaborative programmes with artists, educational and community organisations, empowering communities and individuals, and fostering cross-cultural exchange.
Musica Unita online provides Africa Music School (AMS) students and teachers with regular access to music education between in-person residencies.
Isabella said: “Receiving this funding is incredibly exciting, as it enables me to keep teaching, bring more educators into our team, and build a sustainable future for Musica Unita.”
Luca Dickson, Bachelor of Arts Filmmaking, 2025
State of Decay is a music video following a young man becoming indoctrinated into the far right, before being cast aside.
Luca said: “State of Decay pushes back against the rising alt-right wave in Scotland with dark and gritty visuals, contrasted by surrealism and humour, conveying the absurd and divided time we’re in.
“I’m extremely grateful to receive the Make It Happen funding, it will give us the ability to take our music video to the next level, being able to afford locations, film equipment, and most importantly pay our crew.”
Hannah Docherty, Bachelor of Arts Musical Theatre, 2023
Hannah, an early-career choreographer, is making a dance concept video, focusing on storytelling and world-building through movement.
Hannah said: “I’ve made similar concept videos on a no-budget basis. The Make It Happen Fund is allowing me to be ambitious in my work in terms of production value, building the concept and in the movement I make.
“On top of this, it’s a massive step to be paid to make something that has come from me as the lead artist and to be able to pay my collaborators.”
Tamara Egea Ferguson, Bachelor of Arts Filmmaking, 2023
Ousia is a 90-page psychological drama about a woman who enters a virtual reality therapy that visually manifests her subconscious, forcing her to confront her inner demons and choose whether to reclaim her real life or lose herself to the world inside the headset.
Tamara said: “Funding will support script development through professional mentoring, a table-read with actors, and dedicated writing time toward an industry-ready draft.
“My goal is to strengthen my writing so I can approach producers and collaborators with confidence.”
Lorna Gallagher, Master of Education Learning & Teaching in the Arts, 2024
Lorna will develop and make a five-minute pilot alternative art education film for children and educators. Instead of a prescriptive how-to video, the aim is to inspire children to be creative through multiple possibilities for art making.
Lorna said: “I am absolutely over the moon to be awarded this funding as it will allow me to invest the time and equipment needed to take a seed of a slightly wild idea and see how it will grow.
“My own creative practice often takes second place to teaching, but here I can take my education knowledge and experience in a new, more visual direction.”
Miguel Girão, Bachelor of Music Traditional Music, 2024
Miguel will record his debut album drawing inspiration from composers such as Dimitri Shostakovich and Sergei Rachmaninoff, and the ‘inexorable part of the human condition in which nothing in life is stationary’.
Miguel said: “Receiving the Make It Happen Award feels like a great achievement for me! It will allow me to complete the recording of my debut album alongside a powerhouse ensemble of musicians who I truly admire and respect.”
Kristina Leesik, Master of Music Traditional Music (Fiddle), 2023
Cuan a Tuath is a new trio comprised of Kristina Leesik, Dan Brown (BMus Jazz, 2018), and Séamus Ó Baoighill (MMus Traditional Music, 2022). They were winners of the Danny Kyle Award at Celtic Connections earlier this year.
Drawing influences from the Nordic and Scottish Highland traditional styles, Cuan a Tuath blends Highland strathspeys and reels with traditional Swedish songs and polkas on fiddle, pipes and piano.
Kristina said: “Being funded by Make It Happen feels incredible! Funding will make it possible for us to reach out to a wider audience for our music, develop the next steps in our career and provide a bigger platform to promote the connections between Swedish and Scottish traditional music.”
Sasha Savaloni, Doctor of Performing Arts (Music), 2023
Funding will support the recording of a debut solo album which presents a distinctive collection of works for solo guitar inspired by characters and themes from Shakespeare’s plays.
The programme features rarely recorded repertoire spanning from the Renaissance to the 21st Century, centred around the world-premiere recording of a newly commissioned sonata by renowned Scottish composer Stuart MacRae.
Sasha said: “I am truly delighted to have been awarded the Make It Happen funding. It will support the completion of my debut solo album which aims to expand the classical guitar canon while also providing a major artistic and professional milestone in my career.”
Rebekah Woodier, Master of Music Performance (cello), 2025
Rebekah and Romy Wymer will record and release their debut EP of original music for clàrsach and cello. Their music draws on a range of styles from classical and folk to minimalism and ambient. As well as an opportunity to explore new things, the collaboration will contribute to the overall repertoire for their underrepresented combination of instruments.
Rebekah said: “Receiving funding from Make It Happen means that we can create this EP, which is a big step forward for us in our musical careers. This release will allow us to develop our style and sound as a duo, help us build a community of followers, and will launch us towards expanding our network and getting booked for more live performances together across Scotland.”
Featured above:
Ruby Ophelia Chisholm-Beyer, BA Modern Ballet, 2025
Euan Munro, BA Acting, 2023
Lucy Amos, Bachelor of Music in Performance, 2024
Main image: BA Modern Ballet students Ruby Ophelia Chisholm-Beyer and Nicolas Pereira da Silva perform in the 2025 ballet showcase at RCS © Andy Ross