Theatre group in Northampton receives more than £70,000 Arts Council England funding

Hansel and Gretal at Delapre Abbey, July 2017. Photo by Graeme Braidwood.

Warts and All Theatre in St James has received £76,452 from Arts Council England to support their groups for the next two years.

Warts and All Theatre deliver 'ambitious' programmes, projects and productions with young acting groups in Northampton, Wellingborough and Coventry every week.

This new grant will pay for an 'organisation development project' from 2020 to 2021 to support theatre group growth and raise awareness.

Warts and All Theatre’s artistic director and CEO Christopher Elmer-Gorry said: "We are extremely happy that Arts Council England has recognised all of our success over the first three years.

Buckets, Young Artists Festival 2019. Photo by Tristan Parkes.

"For us it’s a real achievement that they see us as a viable arts organisation, which is worthy of such investment for the next stage of our journey.

"It’s also a credit to the artists and participants that have worked with us over the first three years, to make our work a reality. The grant will allow us the time and resources to prioritise our sustainability. We look forward to working with other funders and stakeholders to realise all of the ambitious plans across the two years."

The funding will also support the company to deliver their annual Young Artists’ Festival, in partnership with Made in Corby and Wellingborough in July 2020.

The money means they can work with consultants at The Audience Agency and People Make it Work to attract young actors who wouldn’t ordinarily engage in arts and culture.

There are no auditions to join, and there are bursary places available for participants from disadvantaged backgrounds where the fee might be a barrier to engaging.

Contact: [email protected] or visit www.wartsandalltheatre.co.uk for dates, times and information on how to get involved.