UK Small Grants awarded to five more theatres

We have awarded five theatres over £23,000 from our UK Theatres Small Grants Scheme.

The projects will address urgent repairs, make significant building improvements and enhance accessibility.

The Montgomery Theatre and Arts Centre, a vital part of the cultural offer in Sheffield’s city centre, will undertake urgent repairs to address water leaks in the main auditorium and one of the main audience stairwells. Without action, significant damage is likely to occur.

At the Grade II* listed Hackney Empire, the local area’s low pressure knocks sinks and toilets out of operation. The theatre will install a new water pump to ensure all facilities across the theatre have a consistent water supply – an improvement for audiences, artists and staff.

Bognor Regis Alexandra Theatre, purpose-built in the 80s, will upgrade the power supply in its main auditorium to three phase. This will allow it, and its hirers, to stage larger, more complex productions.

Audiences and artists performing at the Acorn in Penzance, a former Wesleyan Methodist chapel, will benefit from improved sound quality inside the theatre with the installation of triple glazing to all windows. This will reduce the level of noise transfer outside, as well as make the theatre building more energy efficient by reducing heat loss through draughts.

The new Woodshed Theatre at The Story Museum in Oxford, specialising in live performance, particularly for early years’ audiences, will install an audio frequency induction loop system for the theatre and museum foyer – an essential for hearing-impaired visitors and artists.

The five awards were allocated before theatres were temporarily closed in response to the coronavirus. The current closure does not remove the need for maintenance or make visiting the theatre a better experience that audiences can enjoy when they are able to return.

The awards are possible thanks to essential support from Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation and Charles Michael Holloway Charitable Trust.

In response to the coronavirus crisis, we have repurposed our small grants schemes to support theatres to cover the additional costs of reopening after several months’ closure.

Find out more about our grants schemes.

Cover photo: Montgomery Theatre Sheffield. Top: Alexandra Theatre Bognor Regis. Lower: Acorn Theatre Penzance.