Glasgow’s Tron Theatre is the 100th theatre to receive a grant through Theatres Trust’s Small Grants Programme with The Linbury Trust, as the national advisory and advocacy body announces the latest round of recipients.
This marks the seventh round of the Small Grants programme, with 20 theatres receiving grants of up to £5,000 each totalling £96,242. The funds help theatres to improve their sustainability, access and viability. This takes the total number of grants awarded through the scheme to 112, a huge milestone for Theatres Trust, which aims to support theatres to become fit for the future and thrive as cultural community hubs.
The 100th recipient, Tron, has been awarded a grant of £5,000 for a project to relocate and upgrade its accessible toilet to provide more privacy and a better experience for customers. Tron Theatre Executive Director Patricia Stead comments, We’re extremely grateful to the Theatres Trust Small Grants programme with The Linbury Trust for their support. This project to upgrade disabled toilet facilities within our café-bar is part of a much larger, strategic commitment the Tron Theatre has to improve our building and levels of accessibility, which in turn improves the experience of visiting for our customers.
Other accessibility schemes supported in this round include the refurbishment of the accessible bathroom at The Institute Braintree, replacement of accessible doors at the Guide Bridge Theatre in Greater Manchester, and installation of captioning screens at Macrobert Arts Centre in Sterling.
MAST Mayflower Studios in Southampton receives funding for a sustainability project that includes better recycling, more composting, the installation of a rainwater harvesting system and creating green spaces using the compost and harvested water. Worthing Pavilion Theatre will replace all its taps with state-of-the-art sensor taps, reducing water consumption and wastage and improve the accessibility of the facilities. The other sustainability projects funded in this round at The Boardwalk Old Sheriff Court, Glasgow; The Chipping Norton Theatre; Finborough Theatre, London and Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Well are all focused on replacing traditional lighting with energy-efficient LED equivalents.
Buxton Opera House; Chisenhale Dance Space, London; South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell; York Theatre Royal and YouthAction Northern Ireland, Belfast all receive funding to upgrade essential equipment including communications systems, sound and lighting desks. This will improve the experience of these theatres for audiences and artists alike.
Two London theatres receive funding for improvements to their buildings. Omnibus Theatre in Clapham will improve its backstage facilities for staff and performers while Hoxton Hall will upgrade its safety doors in keeping with its Victorian aesthetic. The remaining three grants are for vital and urgent repairs. Northampton’s Royal Theatre will receive a contribution towards repairing its plasterwork ceiling, Royal Court Theatre in London will make emergency repairs to its chiller, while Seaford Little Theatre in Eastbourne will repair its roof.
Jon Morgan, Theatres Trust Director says, We are delighted that our partnership with The Linbury Trust has been able to support so many theatres with essential projects to enable them to survive and thrive. As our 100th recipient, the accessibility improvements at Tron Theatre is exactly the type of project that this scheme was designed to fund and we are thrilled to be able to support it.
Stuart Hobley, Director of The Linbury Trust, We’re delighted to have reached this important milestone, supporting resilience of theatres right across the UK. From work to become more energy efficient, to improving accessibility, these grants are a testament to local theatres and their role at the heart of local life.
The next round of the scheme is currently open for applications with a deadline of noon on Friday 17th January 2025.
