Theatres Trust Funds Vital Accessibility and Sustainability Projects at 19 Theatres

Theatres Trust, the national advisory body for theatres, is awarding more than £93,000 from its Small Grants Programme supported by The Linbury Trust to 19 theatres to help them to improve their sustainability, access and viability.

Addressing barriers to accessibility and supporting the diversification of its programmes, Rich Mix in the East End of London will install a new infrared hearing system in its Studio Theatre. Judith Kilvington, CEO of Rich Mix, comments, "It's fantastic that the Theatres Trust has a small grants programme where you can apply for small pots of funding on a regular basis. At Rich Mix in East London, as we work to ensure everyone has access to theatre and the arts, it is so important for us to increase our access provision for D/deaf and hearing-impaired audiences and artists. Thank you so much to Theatres Trust and The Linbury Trust."

Other accessibility-related projects funded by Theatres Trust include Beccles Public Hall and Questors Theatre, which will install accessibility equipment in their auditoria to better support their audiences. Marine Theatre Lyme Regis and The Chipping Norton Theatre will improve toilet and washroom facilities backstage for disabled performers, creatives and staff.

Sheringham Little Theatre is refitting its volunteer-run café with Theatres Trust funding. Over the past two years, the café has become a key support hub for the community in the face of social isolation and the cost-of-living crisis. This project will make the café more accessible and environmentally sustainable, enabling the theatre to provide a warm and safe space for local residents. Debbie Thompson, Theatre Director, Sheringham Little Theatre, comments, We are so grateful to Theatres Trust, as this funding will allow us to develop the community activities in The Hub café; we know how vital this space is for local people and how events there can act as a gateway to the theatre programme.

Theatres Trust funding will also support a range of sustainability projects at Eden Court Theatre, Lemon Tree Aberdeen, Oxford Playhouse, Soho Theatre, and The Players Theatre in Thame aimed at reducing energy or water use. Taunton Brewhouse, Eastgate Theatre in Peebles, Exeter Phoenix, Royal Court Theatre Bacup, and National Youth Theatre's Workshop Theatre in London will all use their grants to install LED lighting across various areas of their buildings.

The Small Grants Programme will benefit audience comfort at Shanklin Theatre where it will support essential improvements to front-of-house facilities and will safeguard operational viability at Wardrobe Theatre and Georgian Theatre Royal where refurbishment projects will support safety and security measures.

Jon Morgan, Director of Theatres Trust, comments, We are delighted to support such a range of theatres across the UK, including a number of small scale, community and volunteer run theatres, to expand on the good work they are already doing to improve accessibility, sustainability and viability. We are pleased to have been able to offer more grants than in previous rounds thanks to the generous support of The Linbury Trust, Charles Michael Holloway Charitable Trust and the Mackintosh Foundation.

Stuart Hobley, Director of The Linbury Trust, comments, Theatres are amazing places; fun, engaging and emotive - often where special memories are created. The work funded here is not only vital to improving theatre buildings but essential in ensuring these much-loved spaces can both welcome their community and continue to share their powerful stories.

The next round of the Small Grants Programme supported by The Linbury Trust is now open for applications with a deadline of 12 January 2024.

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