Press release - 8 March 2001

NCA welcomes ACE funds for theatre sector

This afternoon, the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) welcomed the Arts Council of England's announcement that the theatre sector would be receiving a 72% increase in funding.

Victoria Todd, Director of the NCA said "This is a major step forward for the theatre sector in this country. For too long, regional theatres have been under-resourced. We are glad to see that the Government has taken investment in this sector seriously. We are particularly pleased to see that this funding will not be attached to complex 'schemes' as we have lobbied hard to established long-term funding for arts practitioners, without which they are unable to plan ahead. The introduction of three-year funding will allow organisations to extend and diversify their work, while at the same time planning with greater assurance. "

She added "Clearly we are very concerned about the implications of this announcement for those regional theatres that will not be benefiting from an increase in funding. Theatres provide an important focal point for many communities and we will continue to fight for funding so that no community suffers because of a lack of funding for theatre in their area. We hope that this investment will be the first in a long-term commitment from the Government towards the renewal of the theatre industry."

With over 190 organisations benefiting from the new funding arrangements and 83% of the new funding going to producing companies it is anticipated that the number of new and innovative productions will increase. Additional work is also likely to occur in the development of touring programmes, particularly to rural communities and schools with some companies capitalising on the opportunity to be part of the new Creative Partnership scheme announced on 21 February. The combination of increased funding for the theatre sector and for provision for arts in education will provide a significant boost to the arts sector as a whole.

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