Plymouth's Theatre Royal receives 'lifeline' £1.9million government grant
The venue has seen income drop 90% since March
The Theatre Royal Plymouth has been awarded £1,896,000 as part of the Government's Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has announced.
The money will help the venue face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future.
The Theatre Royal is one of 35 major cultural organisations receiving the first grants between £1 and £3 million through the Culture Recovery Fund.
Theatre Royal Plymouth is the South West's principal centre for performing arts and has an extensive education and community engagement programme that reaches thousands annually.
The doors to Theatre Royal Plymouth have been closed to the public for over six months and saw over 90% of their income vanish overnight.
"As part of our unprecedented £1.57 billion rescue fund, today we're saving British cultural icons with large grants of up to £3 million - from Shakespeare's Globe to the Sheffield Crucible.
"These places and organisations are irreplaceable parts of our heritage and what make us the cultural superpower we are. This vital funding will secure their future and protect jobs right away."
Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary
"We're relieved to announce that our application to the government's Culture Recovery Fund was successful and we have been awarded a £1,896,000 lifeline.
"This funding will enable us to continue to deliver our life-changing projects and support our local communities and theatre- makers. It should also help us to welcome audiences back to the theatre to see live shows in a safe and socially distanced way in the near future.
"This news is a great relief to us, for Plymouth and the cultural landscape of the far south-west and it demonstrates that the government clearly recognises the great economic, social and creative value of an organisation like Theatre Royal Plymouth to this city and region.
"Thank you to DCMS and Arts Council England for this fantastic news today and for their clear demonstration of support and confidence in TRP. We look forward to a growing programme of activity across and beyond our stages as conditions allow."
Adrian Vinken, CEO at Theatre Royal Plymouth