Arts funding

Theatre company curious directive has received financial backing from the Department for Culture Media and Sport to explore digital theatremaking.

The former National Portfolio Organisation, based in Norwich, was one of scores of grassroots organisations outside London to be affected by Arts Council England investment decisions for its 2023-26 investment programme.

The Stage reports that it will receive £25,000 towards a digital theatremaking 'laboratory' project that will allow creatives and the public to experiment with technologies including those that merge digital worlds with reality.

Jack Lowe, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of curious directive, said: "Since 2008 we have, in our own understated way, been committed to searching out the future of theatre-storytelling. 

"Be it Frogman (with live performance and VR) or Gastronomic (which used AR in a live theatre setting) we’ve consistently performed a sort of midwifery for digital technology in the ensemble devising theatremaking process."

"Despite this significant heritage, this is our first mainstream grant to support our exploration of digital technology and, like everything in our analogue making space in Norwich, the funds will also be used to secure resource, which will be shared with other artists."

Tamasha theatre company has announced a three-year national programme aiming to support new writing and rebalance a Eurocentric approach to dramaturgy.

It will build on Tamasha’s Developing Artists programme, enhancing regional commissioning, providing targeted support for writers, exploring creative engagement to transform communities and looking at how to better support the needs of Global Majority writers and audiences.

It is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which is granting £305,000 over three years.

Tamasha will work with producing venues across the UK on artist development initiatives and engagement programmes that respond to the specific needs of local artists and communities.

A new Tamasha Regional Associate role will be shared by Director Gitika Buttoo and Director and Dramaturg Beth Kapila, who will lead on devising and delivering the programme with regional partners.

“At a time of seismic challenges across the sector, this new initiative aims to redress systemic injustices in access to development and producing opportunities,” Tamasha’s Artistic Director Pooja Ghai said.

“Decolonising our approach to dramaturgy for our Global Majority writers is both long overdue and necessary. By embracing the multiple forms of storytelling from around the world we will empower Global Majority artists to play a dynamic, leading role in the recovery of our national arts ecology.”

Sonia Mehta, Grants Manager at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, said the new programme “promises to interrogate and reset the structures in place that shape how theatre is made and programmed and by whom – making for a richer and more inclusive sector”.

Scotland's arts funding body has been accused of bias toward the country's major cities.

New figures for 2022/23 show that Creative Scotland spent the equivalent of £50.85 per person on arts projects in Edinburgh and an average of £39.75 per resident of Glasgow.

Dundee – Scotland's fourth biggest city by population – received £24 per person.

However, across the Kingdom of Fife – one of Scotland's largest council areas by population – just £3.15 per person was spent.

Fife Liberal Democrat MSP Willie Rennie said that “big city bias” needs to be addressed.

He said: “The differences in spending are stark. Some variation between different parts of the country is to be expected, but if you live outside of Scotland’s biggest cities you will rightly be feeling short-changed."

He added that spending by both Creative Scotland and the tourist body Event Scotland should be reviewed.

A Creative Scotland spokesperson said: “The reach of the work through Creative Scotland and Screen Scotland extends across the whole country, and our funding routes are devised to help people from all parts of society to bring their ideas to life."

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama has been awarded £1.35m from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop immersive and digital technologies.

The investment comes ahead of the launch of the school’s Performance Lab, which the schools says will “acts as a catalyst for research and development in theatre and performance in immersive performance and digital technologies”.

“Performance Lab will contribute distinctive new research to enhance the UK’s creative and cultural economy,” Central’s Head of Knowledge Exchange, Professor Bryce Lease, added.

Central School, part of the University of London, will also use the investment to upgrade existing facilities and support its work in a range of areas including sound and audio performance and digital performance training.

UKRI’s investment forms part of a £103m package supporting the higher education sector across England.