Arts funding

A Spanish language theatre in London has closed due to “a lack of financial support".

Performing in English and Spanish, the Cervantes Theatre showcased works by Spanish and South American artists. Since opening in Southwark in 2016, the venue has staged over 100 events, including theatre productions and concerts, and has been attended by over 11,000 Spanish students.

The company’s founders and directors, Jorge de Juan and Paula Paz, announced on 11 September that the 100-seat performance space “has to close its doors due to lack of financial support” with immediate effect. 

They said: “We have worked endlessly, we have lifted this project on our shoulders. Unfortunately, it has not been enough.

“The Cervantes Theatre needed fundamental institutional support that fell through. Like many other cultural institutions in the United Kingdom, we are in such a fragile state that any change or delay in funding can be deadly.”

In its most recent accounts, the Spanish Theatre Company, the charity that ran the Cervantes Theatre, said it “heavily relies” on public grants to fund its operations, mostly received from public bodies associated with the Spanish government. 

The accounts noted: “Given the climate of political instability in Spain, there is a concern among trustees and directors regarding the likelihood of receiving these grants from the Spanish government in 2024, and their timing. This represents a material uncertainty that casts significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.”

In 2022, the charity’s income from charitable activities totalled £62,063, derived entirely from Arts Council England, but it received nothing from the funding body in 2023, reporting a drop in grant income to £37,156.
 

Eight artists from Northern Ireland will share £75,835 of funding toward the creation of art projects using digital technologies.

The investment is part of Arts Council Northern Ireland's National Lottery Individual Artists Digital Evolution Awards, which are financed by the National Lottery and match-funded by Future Screens NI.

As part of the scheme, artists who are making digital art for the first time or are working with digital or immersive technology in a novel or innovative way can apply for grants of up to £10k.

The General Secretary of performers' union Equity has urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer not to forget the creative industries in his plans for a “decade of national renewal”.

Speaking to Left Foot Forward at the TUC congress, Paul W Fleming said: “If a decade of national renewal doesn’t include an industrial plan for the creative industries, then there’s not going to be a decade of national renewal.”  

To do this, Fleming said Labour would need to "return arts funding to where it was".

“We do creative industries very, very well," he said.

"We’re the second largest producer of film and TV in the world. We’re the second largest producer of video games in the world.

"Creative industries are worth more to the economy than banking. Without a sectoral plan and without an industrial strategy, we’re not going to maximise the potential.”

A council report has warned that plans to revamp Hereford Museum and Art Gallery could cost £21.8m instead of the £19.2m budgeted, partly due to the unexpected discovery of asbestos in the building.

Higher scaffolding fees and a new electrical substation have also contributed to the increased predicted spending.

Herefordshire Council's progress report said that the anticipated costs “can be reduced through working with a contractor" but that the project will only proceed if it is “deliverable and within the approved budget”.

The project will add six new galleries and display spaces to the grade II-listed building, as well as a temporary exhibition space, a fifth floor, and new commercial and retail space.

The local authority is contributing £8.4m while a further £10.8m has been secured from government, the National Lottery and Arts Council England with other funding bids "also being explored".

Councillor Harry Bramer said the council would probably adjust where and how the available budget is spent at the final design stage.

“We won’t get final costs until we work through the detailed elements of the design with a construction partner, which is the next phase of the project," he said.