A recent infographic by the Lottery Good Causes has revealed that 40 UK towns have received over £1 million each towards funding for their theatres. Theatres include The Curve in Leicester, Eden Court in Inverness and the Lyric Theatre in Belfast.
Since the first lottery draw 20 years ago, lottery players have raised £31 billion that has helped to fund a range of projects and causes. We take a look at how this funding has supported UK theatres.
The National Theatre, London’s Southbank
The National Theatre is one of the countries most popular venues and is currently undergoing a £80 million redevelopment project known as NT Future. The Heritage Lottery Fund contributed £2.5 million towards this, which will help towards the new Dorfman Theatre, Clore Learning Centre and overall facilities of the venue.
The Misfits Theatre Company
Based in Bristol, The Misfits Theatre Company gives people with learning difficulties the opportunity to socialise, learn valuable life skills and of course have fun. The performances and activities also help to challenge discrimination and share personal life experiences. The company is supported by National Lottery funding and in 2013, they won the National Lottery Awards in the Arts category. You can find out more about their latest projects on their official website.
Theatre Royal, Plymouth
A three year grant of £49,739 from the Big Lottery Fund was put towards a project at the Theatre Royal in 2010 in order to help the vulnerable residents of Plymouth. The funding will help to run workshops for people with mental health problems, substance abuse issues and the homeless. According to Mark Cotton, from the Big Lottery Fund, the project will expose these people to different skill sets as well as boost their confidence. In addition to performing themselves, they will also be able to watch free weekly performances at the Drum Theatre.
‘It’s Complicated’ Intergenerational Theatre
This Cardiff based project brings together children from Glyn Derw High School and elderly people from Age Concern to write and perform a play together. National Lottery funding paid for a theatre company to realise the play in schools and youth centres and have it immortalized on DVD. The project has enabled two generations to come together, removing fear of the unknown and allowing both groups to understand each other better.