Five small London theatres awarded vital funding for future support

The national advisory public body for theatres, Theatres Trust, has announced five small London theatres are to benefit from the third round of its London Theatres Small Grants Scheme.

The awards have been made to theatres in need of immediate repairs, addressing accessibility issues and improving conditions for staff, performers and audiences.

Recipients of the £5,000 grants include Applecart Arts, Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Chats Palace, Park Theatre and The Space.

Jon Morgan, director of Theatres Trust, said: “London has a unique collection of theatres and its thriving culture relies on performance spaces of all sizes.

“The smaller theatres across London often operate on fragile business models and struggle for investment. We see supporting theatres that are taking care of their buildings so they can continue to serve their communities as key to our mission.

“For these organisations a small grant makes a big difference.”

The scheme was launched in Summer 2015 by Cameron Mackintosh’s Mackintosh Foundation in partnership with the London Mayor’s Office, to help small theatres in the city with capital funding.

In Spring 2016, Fawn James joined the Mackintosh Foundation as the second major donor to the London Theatres Small Grants Scheme.

Applications for Round 4 of the London Theatres Small Grants Scheme are now open. The application deadline is January 25 2018.

Theatres outside of London can apply for the UK Theatres Small Grants scheme which similarly offers grants of up to £5,000 but does not have the same capacity restrictions.