Connect 4 – creating new partnerships for theatre renaissance in Swindon and Wiltshire
An ambitious and innovative partnership project between 40 theatrical and educational organisations took place in Swindon and Wiltshire during 2006.
Theatre Policy
Our policy summarises the context for theatre and the Arts Council’s role. It sets out our vision for theatre and the priorities we have set to help us deliver it.
- View theatre policy [DOC 39KB]
- View theatre policy [PDF 279KB]
We recently completed a Theatre Assessment which we are using as a basis for the development of future plans.
Young People's Participatory Theatre
The Young People's Participatory Theatre project (YPPT) was a three-year DCMS-funded initiative to develop youth and participatory theatre in England 2005/06–2008/09.
England’s theatre is admired throughout the world: we have access to an astonishing variety of theatre, from classical plays and new texts to experimental work, live art and dramatic work with no text at all. Street arts and circus are also included in our theatre portfolio.
Each year Arts Council England invests over £100 million into regularly funded theatre organisations and more than £11 million on all kinds of theatre through Grants for the arts. However, subsidised theatre exists alongside both commercial theatre, which contributes over £2.5 billion a year to the UK’s economy, and amateur theatre.
These three sectors are mutually interdependent and it is our ambition that theatre of all kinds should thrive, providing as many opportunities as possible for people to experience a wide range of enjoyable, exciting and stimulating work.
Theatre initiatives
Investigations into new theatre writing in England
We commissioned two investigations into new writing in theatre in England in order to examine this important area of work more closely than was possible in our theatre assessment. Our two investigations looked at different aspects of new writing between 2003 and 2008/9.
- Investigations into new theatre writing in England: our response to the reports
- New Writing in Theatre 2003–8, an assessment of new writing within smaller scale theatre in England
- Writ Large, new writing on the English stage 2003–2009
Sustained Theatre
Sustained Theatre ensures artists transform the future of our national arts landscape to reflect the diverse, rich and vibrant talent that exists in British society.
