As it is unlikely that all 10 actors will always be required in a production at a given time, the remaining actors will create and perform four smaller touring productions which will be available to perform at schools, community halls and other venues in KZN. These minor shows will be executed over a period of approximately three months to run concurrently with the quarterly school calendar.

Actors will be contracted to perform in a minimum of four of the six full-scale productions each year. Although resident members of the company, they will be required to audition for roles in the proposed productions. In this way the company will collectively present a continuous programme of plays at our resident theatre as well as reach a wider audience with the touring programme. During the interim rehearsal periods, KickstArt would host productions presented by other professional companies.

The proposed budget also includes a salary for two guest actors who may be invited to appear in two of the full-scale productions presented during the year. This will allow the company to engage with other seasoned performers who will enrich the company with the experience they bring to the production.

The company would comprise of six "senior actors"; qualified professionals with considerable experience reflected in a detailed CV, and four "junior actors"; new graduates who have successfully completed their studies and wish to gain professional experience in an established theatre company. In this way KickstArt fulfills its role as a professional theatre company presenting performances of the highest standard, and also serving as a bridging facility between tertiary education and the professional arena in which junior members may further extend their skills working with top professionals. Although a tertiary education or at least five years professional experience would be a recommended requirement, places in the company would be awarded on acting talent demonstrated in publicly announced auditions held in Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Members’ contracts would be reviewed at the end of the first six months, and again at the end of the year-long contract at which point they may be invited to renew their contracts for the following year.

By operating as a resident theatre company, KickstArt hopes to offer the best of KZN’s local actors a stable working environment in which they may focus entirely on their performance careers without having to resort to other casual and short term employment to earn a living. In this way we hope to nurture and grow our province’s best talent, offer other actors in training or already in the field a position to aspire to, and thus restore faith in the acting profession in South Africa.

In the long term, we hope that should other theatre companies in the country follow KickstArt’s example and establish themselves as residencies, company members who complete their residency with KickstArt may later use their experience to gain further employment with these other companies, and thus be able to work in other areas of the country and become recognised nationally for their work.

With a number of companies operating nationally on this basis, "production exchange" opportunities would open up, whereby a production from another company could be hosted by KickstArt at our resident theatre, presented during one of the company’s rehearsal periods, and vice versa.

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