Theatre News

Arts Council announces successful capital funding applicants

Arts Council England (ACE) has announced the 26 organisations that have been successful in the first stage of their application to its latest large-scale capital funding programme.

The majority of the 26 projects focus on the refurbishment or extension of established arts buildings, with the Arts Council proposing to invest £114 million in the first round of the fund.

Successful projects include: £12 million to transform areas of the Chichester Festival Theatre; a £20 million refurbishment of areas of the Southbank Centre to “bring them up to the international standard of the Royal Festival Hall”; and £17.5 million to help the National Theatre Future project, which will see it extend its South Bank home.

ACE chief executive Alan Davey said: “This programme is about backing a wide range of really exciting proposals to make sure the arts infrastructure is in place for organisations to thrive, for the benefit of artists and audiences across the country.

“The Arts Council hasn’t run a capital programme since 2003 so we knew there was a real need to maintain and improve our existing arts and cultural buildings. That’s why we’ve prioritised renovations and refurbishments across the country that deliver sustainability and resilience and ensure organisations have the right facilities and equipment to support and deliver their excellent work.”

To see a full list of successful applicants, which will now be invited to complete a stage two application within the next 18 months “showing plans at a detailed stage of design and development”, click here

Meanwhile, a survey by The Stage has revealed that one in ten companies that lost all of their core ACE funding in the recent round of cuts will close as a result. A further 22% of respondents described themselves as “at risk of closing”, while just 16% rated their financial situation as healthy.