A £4.31 MILLION government rescue package has been announced to help keep 18 arts organisations afloat in Coventry and Warwickshire.
Beneficiaries of the funding awarded through the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund include Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre, Compton Verney, FarGo Village, Warwick Arts Centre and My Runway Group, a creative multi-platform experience representing youth culture.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said the investment is a “vital boost” for “cultural beacons” across the country, many of which are fighting for survival post-Covid – like Coventry’s Albany Theatre which has been saved from the brink of closure this week.
More than 1385 arts and culture UK organisations will receive a share of the £257m to help get through the next six months, create work and performances, and plan for reopening, with further funding to be announced in coming weeks.
Chenine Bhathena, creative director of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 said: “The funding announced today will provide a lifeline to some of the country’s most innovative and essential cultural organisations, providing vital support to the delicate ecosystem of arts and culture across the country.
“While this gives some a much-needed breathing space, we must now redouble all our efforts to ensure a sustainable future.
“The challenge as we move forward is to continue to create meaningful and exciting cultural experiences, protect the livelihoods of our talented workforce, and most importantly to demonstrate the need for and impact of culture in our communities. Culture isn’t a “nice to have”, it’s the bedrock of our society.”
The Belgrade, which has been producing theatre ever since it was built just after the Second World War, receives £999,999. It will allow for a new digital infrastructure and enable the theatre to stage low-risk, outdoor and indoor test events – either socially-distanced or live streamed – and a live streamed Christmas ‘Digi-Panto’ on a paid-for platform to be screened in house. In addition it will help the funding of outreach and educational programmes to help combat isolation, social exclusion, knife crime and poor mental health.
In a joint statement the Belgrade’s executive director Joanna Reid and artistic director Hamish Glen said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded the full £999,999 we applied for as part of the government’s emergency Cultural Recovery Fund, administered through the Arts Council. This money will enable us to start enacting the plans we’ve been developing to help us to recover from this crisis.
“Over the coming months, we will be running a series of test events to keep audiences coming back into the building for socially distanced live performances, exhibitions, screenings and taking part in our community activities. Our beautiful building already has spacious, airy foyers which work well for smaller audiences and as well as supporting these events, the money will also enable us to improve both our outdoor facilities and digital infrastructure, meaning we can respond more flexibly as the situation changes by hosting events outside the building and/or livestreaming them online. Watch this space for details!
“An improved WiFi network will also help us to implement digital ticket checks, reducing the need for person to person contact, and building on our ongoing efforts to keep everyone safe through measures such as increased cleaning, and mask wearing.
“Crucially, the work that we are able to do now will not only serve us in the short-term, but will also help us to build resilience for the future, allowing us to begin generating income and rebuilding our financial reserves as we approach Coventry’s City of Culture year in Spring 2021.
“We know that our wide-ranging work has huge benefits for the communities of Coventry, in terms of promoting mental health and wellbeing, providing a platform for marginalised communities, fostering empathy and collaboration and opening up opportunities for young people and emerging artists to develop skills they will use throughout their careers.
“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us over the last few months. Please keep checking back to our website for further updates.”
Warwick Arts Centre, which is due to reopen in January 2021 at the heart of the University of Warwick campus, received £483,000.
Director Doreen Foster said: “As we continue to prepare for Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture, it is wonderful to be able to talk about what we are going to do rather than what we can’t do.
“The Culture Recovery Fund support has changed the conversation. We have been closed and silent for six months but the CRF means we can start to rekindle our relationships with our friends and patrons, reach out to new audiences and start to bring the Warwick Arts Centre to life again as we look forward with hope to an exciting 2021.”
A ‘testbed’ season will enable audiences to sample their programme ahead of Summer 2021’s grand re-opening with an exciting new building, a new gallery, three cinema screens and a new foyer and restaurant. Every week, from January to March 2021 the centre will be presenting safe and socially distanced different artforms in either the Theatre or the Butterworth Hall – ranging from theatre to music, family shows to dance, classical concerts to comedy.
She said the funding will allow the centre to employ “local freelance artists, purchase essential equipment”, and ensure that their “skilled and dedicated staff” will be ready to welcome everyone back again.
Coventry’s Albany Theatre was on the brink of closure, and due to close its door this week – but a £250,000 grant has managed to secure its future.
Chair of Trustees, David Meredith said: “Everyone involved has done a fantastic job to open what was an empty theatre in 2013 and take it to where it is now. This money will help secure a sustainable future. Unfortunately, this funding did not come as quickly as we had hoped, meaning that regrettably, we have had to make some members of our team redundant, this was not done lightly. We know that many other organisations and individuals have not received this crucial help and we have every sympathy for them. We are very conscious that The Albany will be critically important as a provider of opportunities in particular for children and young people and as part of the ecology of the local arts scene. We will not let people down.”
The Albany Theatre was poised to cancel their mini Autumn season and redevelopment plans but the funding will mean events can go ahead as planned.
Kevin Shaw, CEO and Artistic Director, said: “Our team has been working tirelessly to ensure that, subject to funding, we could provide safe yet enjoyable events, a diverse outreach programme and more opportunities to engage with and inspire the people of Coventry at a time when they need it most. We hope to be a key player as we head towards Coventry’s year as City of Culture.”
Local MP Zarah Sultana, who joined The Albany Board earlier this year, said: “The Albany had exhausted its funds and would have had to permanently close its doors. I am delighted that they have secured this grant and will be able to invest in new creative spaces that will generate enough income to ensure long-term sustainability.”
Coventry’s FarGo Village, home to Coventry’s only multipurpose creative arts venue, The Box, also receives a £150,000 boost to develop their outdoor space to host more events, and towards producing more online and digital based live-streamed gigs and street food festivals.
And My Runway Group, a creative multi-platform youth empowerment organisation in Coventry, has been awarded £60,708 to help continue the delivery of online initiatives.
In Warwickshire, Compton Verney Art Gallery and Park gets £980,000 towards staging an exhibition of local young people’s work, reintroducing talks and tours over the winter months and a new opportunity for an artist to “re-envision” play areas; and Birmingham Royal Ballet, under the leadership of Carlos Acosta, receives £500,000 to help offset losses from cancelled performances and touring.
Peter Knott, Arts Council England’s area director, said: “We’re delighted the Culture Recovery Fund has enabled support for a wide range of arts and cultural sector companies across Coventry and Warwickshire.
“The government’s package is hugely welcome, providing much of the sector with resources to remain in business through to the Spring. Well-loved community projects, theatres, galleries, museums, clubs, music venues, festivals, key cultural suppliers along with other creative spaces and projects have benefited. This is welcome news not only for those in receipt of the funding but also for communities in villages, towns and cities across the Midlands where this matters so much.
“We know that creativity, arts and culture benefit us in so many ways, having a positive impact on our wellbeing, bringing us together and making a significant contribution to the local and national economy – today’s announcements gives us a chance to continue that and contribute to the national recovery, post-Covid.”
