Over £870,000 to help Coventry and Warwickshire artists and cultural organisations through Coronavirus crisis - The Coventry Observer

Over £870,000 to help Coventry and Warwickshire artists and cultural organisations through Coronavirus crisis

Coventry Editorial 17th Jun, 2020   0

OVER £870,000 has been given to artists and cultural organisations in Coventry and Warwickshire to help them through the Coronavirus crisis.

Arts Council England announced £874,097 would be shared among 98 individual artists and cultural organisations in the region through its Covid-19 emergency response package.

Announced in March, the emergency response package was designed to help alleviate pressures faced by artists, creative practitioners, cultural organisations, museums, and libraries.

Coventry’s Fargo Village – home to the city’s only multipurpose creative arts venue, The Box – has received £34,097 to develop ‘Virtual Makers Market’, an online sales platform which aims to grow the income of the 40 independent businesses currently based at the village.




Coventry’s Theatre Absolute – which runs Shop Front Theatre in a community arts space with local writers, performers and artists – has received £27,000 to enable the organisation’s ‘Writing Gyms’ to go online, helping writers produce work that can be shown at the theatre in the future.

Theatre Absolute is also hosting online mentor sessions for young people who are interested in careers in the arts.


Julia Negus, Producer at Theatre Absolute, said: “The funding has helped us stay engaged with our community. It also means that we can directly support professional freelance artists at a time when so many productions and events have been temporarily halted.”

Warwick’s Playbox Theatre – which works with young actors aged 3-21 – will use the £29,008 it has received to develop Playbox Online, to allow young people to participate and engage in theatre throughout lockdown.

Stewart McGill, Consultant Director of Playbox Theatre, said: “There is no doubt that this is the most difficult time the company has faced in its history.

“The Arts Council England funding helps us to maintain and develop new content to reach young people through a variety of online programmes from stories for the very young to virtual interactive sessions in theatre techniques.

“There is no substitute for face-to-face engagement but all of us at Playbox are able to devise and expand how we energise online resources. We are very grateful for the generous support of the Arts Council.”

Peter Knott, Area Director for Arts Council, said: “We’re pleased to be able to support the cultural sector in Warwickshire through our Emergency Response Package.

“Thanks to the government and National Lottery players we’re able to give vital financial support to the many people and organisations that make up our vibrant cultural sector, for whom Covid-19 has dealt a devastating blow.

“We know that creativity, arts and culture benefit us in so many ways, having a positive impact on our wellbeing – from Playbox Theatre in Warwick to a multi-purpose venue like The Box in Fargo Village, Coventry, it is crucial to offer support in these difficult times.”

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