PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Theatres: Merseyside (14 November 2018)

In Merseyside, Arts Council England (ACE) has increased their National portfolio funding by 14% for the 2018-22 funding period. This includes investment in a number of theatre organisations, such as Liverpool Everyman, the Unity Theatre, the Royal Court, Collective Encounters and 20 Stories High.

A new addition to ACE’s National portfolio for this period is Culture Liverpool, who have built on the legacy of European Capital of Culture 2008 to play a leading role in large scale outdoor and public art commissions. Culture Liverpool recently delivered the theatre production ‘Giant Spectacular’ which took place across Liverpool and the Wirral for a weekend, attracting over 1 million visitors.

In addition to ACE’s National portfolio investment, they have made 81 awards from the Lottery-funded Grants for the Arts and Project Grants schemes to support theatre projects across Merseyside since April 2015, with investment totalling more than £1 million. ACE will also administer a Treasury award of £5 million for the capital development of the Shakespeare North theatre in Knowsley.