News

A community theatre in Kent has asked the public for help maintaining its programme of activities after rising energy and supply costs have strained its resources.

The Astor Theatre in Deal said it has a £20,000 financial shortfall and needs to raise money to help support events, including theatre, film screenings and creative classes.

A crowdfunding campaign has raised nearly £4,000.

Board member Mig Kimpton said: "This theatre should be a beacon of creativity and support for everyone connected with Deal."

More than £100,000 in grants will be split between 24 theatres across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales through the Theatres Trust Small Grants Programme.

The scheme, run with The Linbury Trust, funds projects with up to £5,000 to improve the resilience, sustainability, or accessibility of theatres by making building improvements.

Recipients of the latest round of funding include Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Almeida Theatre in London, Blackpool Grand Theatre, Colchester Arts Centre, Pitlochry Festival Theatre in Scotland, Tyne Theatre and Opera House in Newcastle and The Welfare Ystradgynlais in Swansea.

Jon Morgan, Theatres Trust Director, said: "Theatres Trust is delighted to be able to support more theatres with small projects to make a big impact to their sustainability, accessibility and inclusivity, as well as vital maintenance projects. 

"This is the largest round of this scheme to date, with the high number and wide range of projects demonstrating the demand for investment in the UK’s theatre buildings to ensure they are fit for current and future audiences."

Residents and cultural organisations are being asked to share their views on a draft strategy for the future of arts and culture in Central Bedfordshire.

Central Bedfordshire Council said the draft strategy, which will become the district's first arts and culture strategy, sets goals to create a "thriving cultural landscape" over the next five years.

A consultation on a draft library services strategy for the next five years is also being held.

Mary Walsh, the council's Executive Member responsible for libraries, arts and culture, said: "A vibrant arts and cultural scene can help communities come together, increase footfall in our town centres and villages, promote health and wellbeing, and give people a sense of pride in where they live. 

"Evidence shows it can also create a prosperous economy, enriching lives through diverse cultural experiences.  

"Our library services strategy emphasises our commitment to ensuring libraries continue to be vibrant community spaces, as well as high-quality centres for learning and participation that are accessible to all.

"It’s important that both these strategies align with community aspirations and needs. We urge people to get involved with this consultation, look at the work we have done so far, which sets out a series of actions to help us achieve our aims, and help shape the future of arts and culture and our library services in Central Bedfordshire."

The Libraries Strategy consultation is open until 23 June, and the Arts and Culture Strategy consultation is open until 21 July.

Building work to transform a former industrial building in Loughborough into a creative arts centre will begin this month.

The BBC reports that the £2.5m project to create a large-capacity, multi-purpose cultural centre for the town at the Generator Hall is due to be completed by next spring.

The Generator CIC, a community interest company managed by volunteers, said it has "been working hard for several years" to transform the 1930s building.

In addition to £1.8m previously secured from various channels, £700,000 from the government's Community Ownership Fund was confirmed on 22 December, allowing contracts to be signed and builders to be arranged.

David Pagett-Wright, Chair of the Generator CIC, said: "Alongside this amazing breakthrough, we've been working incredibly hard behind the scenes for reasons we can now reveal.

"When we went to tender in July 2023, we discovered that recent, exceptional inflation in building costs had made our established plans no longer feasible. We hit quite a wall.

"We had to re-work our plans, creating a two-stage approach, and then go back to our main funders to get their agreement. Thankfully, all are on board with this approach."

Attendees at the Northern Music Awards in Manchester have criticised a lack of support for young musicians.

Speaking to The Guardian at the event, singer and songwriter Lisa Stansfield said: “There aren’t enough platforms for young musicians. It’s made very, very difficult by this government for them to do anything.

"They don’t have any money, and they’re being charged to go everywhere to do gigs. It’s disgusting, really. And this government don’t care."

Lilly Fontaine from Leeds band English Teacher noted that the nationwide local radio programme BBC Introducing had been integral to their success, but said that type of showcase for regional talent was at risk after the broadcaster announced it was cutting its local programmes to save costs last year. 

Fontaine said: “I think that was a shame because I think that having a lot of industry people in the regional areas really helps – it really helped us. I think filling those gaps, those elements that have been taken away, with something else would be great.”

Meanwhile, The Charlatans singer, Tim Burgess, said it was also necessary to address nationwide issues, such as better pay for musicians. “We need to look at it and try to make sure there’s equality,” he said.

The Swan Theatre in Worcester has been added to a list of organisations set to benefit from a share of £5m of Levelling Up funding after Worcester City Council (WCC) was given an extension on submitting its spending plans.

The council was originally expected to deliver its final plan on 10 May, but the deadline has been moved to 3 June.

The original spending strategy included awarding £1.6m to create space for more events and exhibitions at the Corn Exchange, £900,000 to create a sustainable events venue at Pitchcroft and £742,000 to refurbish the Gheluvelt Park bandstand.

In its updated proposal, which was put before the Policy and Resources Committee on 23 April, the council has added a £155,000 grant to The Swan Theatre to improve the foyer and accessibility, including a new lift, accessible toilet, and changing facilities.

Just two years ago, The Swan was saved from closure after Worcester City Council scrapped plans to sell it off to fund a multimillion-pound project to build a new arts venue in the city on the site of the listed Scala Theatre and Corn Exchange buildings.

Other projects added to WCC's Levelling Up proposals include £65,000 for a mobile music vehicle £65,000, £350,000 to acquire a building as office and storage space for the Scala, and £22,000 on a portable outdoor stage.

Ballet Cymru is offering support to children and young people living with juvenile arthritis as part of a creative collaboration launched with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, funded by Arts Council Wales.

Dr Joanne May, a consultant at the Children's Hospital for Wales, who initiated the Dance to Move partnership, said: "We aim to deliver holistic care, but time in clinics is limited, which often means the focus is on condition management and treatment.

"Early on, we recognised that creative interventions would benefit children not only because dance elements would support movement, but also because they provided an opportunity to build confidence and support the wellbeing of children and their families."

The programme provides an immersive experience for children and families by offering dance, drawing, costume design and storytelling.

The UK’s largest indoor arena has postponed launch events with Peter Kay, due to be held this week, after work on its power supply fell “a few days behind schedule”.

"It is critical to ensure we have a consistent total power supply to our fully electric sustainable venue, the completion of which is a few days behind," a statement from Co-Op Live Arena said.

"Rescheduling gives us the extra time we need to continue testing thoroughly."

Kay's performances at the 23,500-capacity venue have been rescheduled to 29 and 30 April.

Kay said: "I'm truly gutted, as I know how disappointing this will be for everyone with tickets - but obviously, it's a brand-new venue, and it's important that everything is finished and safe for full-capacity audiences."

Co-op Live was forced to cancel tickets for 7,000 attendees to a Rick Astley test concert last week after problems with its power supply affected fire safety and the arena’s emergency services communication system. Invite-only ticket holders were only notified of the capacity change a few hours before the scheduled start time.

The £365m venue, backed by City Football Group, Oakview Music Group and minor partners including Harry Styles, Gaiety and SJM, has already attracted controversy ahead of its opening following a licensing dispute with rival 21,000-capacity AO Arena. 

Music Venue Trust has also campaigned to have the arena donate £1 of every ticket as a “grassroots levy” to fund local independent venues.