LIFT and ENO are among the 48 UK organisations benefitting from European Union grant money
Ópera de amor (CC BY 2.0)
The UK’s success rate in applying for funding from Creative Europe, the European Union’s €1.46 billion programme to support the cultural, creative and audio-visual sectors, is considerably above the European average, according to figures released by the international body. 24% of applicants from the UK – with specialisms ranging from contemporary dance to the visual arts – were successful, compared to the Europe-wide average of just 13%.
Creative Europe funding is intended to facilitate travel and to help participants reach international audiences. Organisations can apply to be either lead or non-lead partners in cooperation projects and, in total, 48 UK-based organisations achieved backing. LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre), one of the UK organisations selected to lead a large cooperation projects, was granted just under €1m to work alongside nine European counterparts. ENO (English National Opera), receiving €200,000 to lead a small cooperation project, have used the money to stage Mike Leigh’s operatic directorial debut, which will play in the UK then tour to three co-producing theatres in Western Europe.
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