Achates Philanthropy Prize Announces Regional Showcase For The Reimagined 2020 Prize

The Achates Philanthropy Prize, the national campaign to promote support of the arts, has announced the Regional Showcase for the reimagined 2020 Prize. The 24 nominations selected are: 20 Stories High, Accidental Theatre, Belgrade Theatre, Bloomin' Arts, Craftspace, DanceEast, Dawns i Bawb, Dundee Rep & Scottish Dance Theatre, Kiln Theatre, Kneehigh Theatre, Northern Ballet, Presteigne Festival, Replay Theatre Company, Rifco, Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery, Scottish Ballet, Spread the Word, Stage Beyond, The Anstice, The Burton at Bideford, The Reader, Theatr Clwyd, Theatre Centre & Theatre503 and Toonspeak.

The Regional Showcase has been selected from a long list of 121 nominations, researched and developed by Achates Philanthropy Prize Ambassadors, each one resident in their region: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and each of the five ACE regions in England (London, South East, South West, North and Midlands). Together they offer a unique snapshot of the myriad inspiring ways in which cultural organisations have worked with their communities and how their communities have responded to this work during an extraordinary year.

The activity profiled includes: outstanding digital offers, from a storytelling app to a wellbeing resource for NHS workers to entire festivals delivered online; a stage play reimagined for radio and a children's show performed in the back of a converted transit van; a team delivering hundreds of food parcels within their local community, another distributing creativity-stimulating 'rainbow boxes', and another one sharing sunflower and geranium seeds.

A 19-strong panel of judges will now review the Regional Showcase and curate a National Showcase featuring eight cultural organisations - one from each region - to be announced at a special online ceremony presented in partnership with HOME on Thursday 12 November.

This ceremony will be preceded by the first ever conference hosted and curated by the Achates Prize. Art, Audiences, Money will explore what kind of world we want to live in and the role that culture can play in that world, with provocations on potential routes forward for the cultural sector at this critical time. Running from 10am to 5:15pm, the online conference will comprise of four hour-long sessions with highlights including:

Philanthropy as a Life Skill, chaired by Lyn Gardner (theatre critic, children's novelist and journalist), with panellists: Dr Alison Body (Lecturer in Philanthropic Studies at the University of Kent), Liz O'Sullivan (Arts Manager at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust) and Caroline McCormick (Achates Philanthropy Foundation Chair).

Pay to Play, a discussion around value on engagement with the arts, chaired by Dave Moutrey (Director & Chief Executive at HOME and Director of Culture for Manchester City Council) with panellists: Henny Finch (Executive Director of Donmar Warehouse), Tarek Iskander (Artistic Director & CEO of Battersea Arts Centre) and Javaad Alipoor (artist & writer).

Rewriting the Rulebook, a discussion about disrupting old models, chaired by Moira Sinclair (Chief Executive of Paul Hamlyn Foundation) with panellists: Anisa Morridadi (Founder & CEO of Beatfreeks), Abdul Shayek (Artistic Director & Joint CEO of Tara Arts) and Fionnuala Kennedy (director).

Places are free. To find out more and to register, click on this link.

Achates Philanthropy Foundation Chair, Caroline McCormick, said: "The 2020 Achates Philanthropy Prize shines a light into the role of the cultural sector at the darkest time for a generation. All of the nominations demonstrate how cultural organisations across the country have responded to the challenges of COVID-19, despite themselves being under threat. Our one-day conference - Art, Audiences, Money - will create a moment for us all to take breath and to consider the road forward from here, where our destination should be and what role culture can play in that journey. We can't raise the voices of all the remarkable talent across the country and the work that is being done but are very proud that we can give a brief glimpse into what culture can do."

For more information, please visit: www.achatesprize.co.uk or follow us @achatesprize

To post a comment, you must register and login.