Royal & Derngate in Northampton gets £435,000 funding boost ahead of May opening date

Royal & Derngate in Northampton has received a grant of £435,000 to help it get back on track after being forced to close because of the pandemic.

The theatre closed its doors as a result of the first lockdown and will be reopening next month.

Today, Friday, the theatre has been awarded funding form the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund.

In a statement issued by chief executive Jo Gordon and artistic director James Dacre, they said: “We are pleased that the Government is continuing to invest across the cultural sector through the DCMS Culture Recovery Fund #HereForCulture and grateful that Royal & Derngate will receive further essential grant funding as we take our next steps towards reopening our building to the public.

"This funding, along with the generous support of our stakeholders and audiences has been a lifeline for us, just as it has for organisations like ours across the country.

"We would like to reiterate our thanks to our customers and colleagues for all the support they have given us over the last year as we look forward to welcoming audiences back to Royal & Derngate from May 17, subject to Government guidelines remaining to plan.

"We’ve discovered so many vital new ways to engage our communities during this period of forced closure and look forward to building upon these achievements as we open our doors once more.”

More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including Royal & Derngate in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work.

"We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”