Cash support for 40 more theatres
London theatre news: Friday 12 March 2021
Funding
Theatres Trust has awarded a further £155,265 of grants to help theatres with costs of Covid-secure reopening.
Photos (clockwise from top right) Hampstead Theatre, Jack Studio Theatre, Canal Cafe Theatre, New Diorama Theatre
Theatres Trust, the national public advisory body for theatre, has awarded a further £155,265 of grants to help theatres with the costs of Covid-secure reopening.
The funds will help theatres across the country make changes to their buildings to reduce congestion, improvements to ventilation systems and simple measures like installing hand sanitisers and screens.
The Theatre Reopening Fund was launched in June 2020 in response to the pandemic and, to date, Theatres Trust has supported 75 theatres across the length and breadth of the UK, with grants totalling £301,873.
The theatres supported reflect the vital elements that make up the theatre ecosystem with awards made to significant producing theatres - Hampstead Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Theatre Royal Bath - major receiving houses Capital Theatres and Worthing Theatres, venues specialising in dance (Northern Ballet), new writing (Traverse, New Diorama, Gate Theatre) and one of the country's few puppet theatres, Upfront Theatre.
Community theatres across the country have received grants, including young people-focused Blue Elephant Theatre and Hanger Farm Arts Centre, which works with people with learning disabilities.
Theatres Trust has also given grants to help reopen every type of theatre building, including the country's last remaining Regency theatre, Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds, theatres in converted cinemas (People's Theatre and Blackburn Empire) and former churches (Headgate Theatre and Lowestoft Players Theatre), pub theatres (Jack Studio Theatre), outdoor theatre (Rutland Open Air) and even a travelling theatre - Paines Plough.
Theatres Trust Director Jon Morgan said ...
"We are beginning to look forward to a time when theatres can reopen, welcome audiences back inside and continue to play a vital role in their communities.
It has been a difficult year, but Theatres Trust is pleased to have been able to support so many theatres through this grant scheme as well as our free advice service and the #SaveOurTheatres Crowdfunding campaign."
The Theatre Reopening Fund was 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.
In the London area, awards have been given to ...
The Albany, £5,000
The Albany in Deptford is a hub for the creative industries with a theatre at its heart.
The project funded is to replace the existing ineffectual fans with new fans that will supply fresh air to the venue's toilets, which is particularly important in providing the spread of Covid-19.
Blue Elephant Theatre, £5,000
Mechanical ventilation will be installed in the auditorium of this young people-focused fringe venue in Camberwell.
Brookside Theatre, Romford, £4,715
An independent theatre based in a memorial hall, Brookside Theatre will make both front-of-house and backstage areas Covid-secure with custom-made Perspex screens for the box office, kiosk and dressing rooms as well as installing retractable crowd barriers, hand sanitising stations and signage.
Canal Café Theatre, £2,714
The Theatre Reopening Fund grant will fund an extension to the venue's balcony to allow social distancing, PPE purchase and improvements to the box office at this active comedy, cabaret and theatre venue.
Gate Theatre, £2,050
An intimate theatre space above a pub, the Gate has a strong reputation for producing international theatre.
The grant will fund Covid-secure measures including purchasing Perspex screens and a hand-sanitising station.
Hampstead Theatre, £2,440
Hampstead Theatre is a major producing theatre.
The grant will go towards signage to make the building Covid-secure.
Lyric Hammersmith, £3,900
A leading producing theatre in a reconstructed Frank Matcham auditorium, the Lyric will complete a package of Covid-secure works including installing Perspex units, hand sanitisation stations and anti-bacterial door handles.
Jack Studio Theatre, £4,839
The fringe pub theatre has been awarded a grant to cover installing wall vents to create fresh air flow at all times, improvements to toilet ventilation and the purchase of fogging equipment.
New Diorama, £5,000
The innovative theatre supports new writing and emerging theatre companies.
Its café operator ceased trading during lockdown and the removal of the equipment damaged the front-of-house area.
The theatre is taking this opportunity to redesign the space to be more accessible and this funding would focus on creating an accessible bar.
For the full list of awards see this page.
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