Theatres Trust, the national advisory body for theatres in the UK, is providing vital help for 20 theatres. These are the first 20 theatres that will be helped through the Trust’s Theatre Reopening Fund. The grant scheme was established earlier this year in response to the Covid-19 pandemic to support theatres with the additional costs associated with reopening after a prolonged period of closure, and to meet current Covid-safe requirements.
The first round of successful theatres reflects the remarkable variety of theatres in the UK, ranging from historic Grade II* listed theatres Theatre Royal Stratford East, Theatre Royal Wakefield and Wilton’s Music Hall, Category 2 listed Alhambra Dunfermline and internationally renowned performing arts venue The Roundhouse, to Beaufort Theatre, a volunteer-led community arts centre in Ebbw Vale, rural touring venue Pound Arts in Wiltshire and local authority-run venues Middlesbrough Theatre and The Stag in Sevenoaks.
Vital local theatres Aberdeen Arts Centre, Corn Exchange Newbury, Hampton Hill Theatre in Richmond, Joseph Rowntree Theatre in York, Lichfield Garrick, Lowther Pavilion in Lancashire, Lowestoft’s Marina Theatre, New Cut Arts in Suffolk, Oldbury Rep in the West Midlands, Seaford Musical Theatre in East Sussex and West Cliff Theatre in Clacton will also receive and benefit from this essential funding.
Theatre projects supported will include building deep cleans, installation of hand sanitisers and Perspex screens, fitting automatic doors and improvements to ventilation systems. With this funding, theatres will be able to meet government guidelines, increase audience confidence, and be able to safely open their doors.
Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan comments, In these challenging times for the theatre sector, Theatres Trust is pleased to be able to help theatres across the country to prepare their buildings for audiences to return. These grants, alongside our free advice service and online seminars, will help theatres to move closer to reopening. We are grateful for the unprecedented support of our funders and hope to be able to assist more theatres with essential reopening projects with money raised through the #SaveOurTheatres Crowdfunder campaign.
The Theatre Reopening Fund has been made possible thanks to the generous support of funders: Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, Charles Michael Holloway Charitable Trust, Judy Craymer CBE, Soho Estates, The Basil Samuel Charitable Trust, The Foyle Foundation, The Mackintosh Foundation, The Pilgrim Trust, The Swire Charitable Trust, Theatre Royal, Haymarket and Theatre Super Auction.
Theatres Trust is currently raising additional money for this grant scheme through the #SaveOurTheatres campaign in partnership with Crowdfunder https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/save-our-theatres.
Theatre Reopening Fund will continue to accept applications for grants of up to £5,000 until at least the end of 2020, with the possibility that the scheme will be extended into 2021 subject to demand. Details of the next round of recipients will be announced soon.
