£250,000 earmarked for development of Scottish arts
22/01/2003
The Scottish Arts Council has announced grants totalling over £250,000 to a range of creative projects. Funding has come from the National Lottery Work Development Fund which helps arts organisations develop a range of new projects. Boilerhouse Theatre Company Ltd has received almost £50,000 to support the street theatre show 'Sister Sister' which features a 10 metre high structure, trapeze work and a huge cinema screen. It is a story of nationalism and the rivalry between two sisters. Premiering at Big in Falkirk in May 2003, Boilerhouse plans to take the show on the road around Scotland to reach an audience of at least 35,000 people.
Another theatre company, Traverse Theatre (Scotland) Ltd, was given an award of £45,000 toward a production of '15 Seconds' which features a lead actor with a disability. The play, written by Quebecois writer Francois Archambault, is to be adapted by Scottish writer Isabel Wright into a Scots-English version. Centred on two brothers, the play is a touching comedy about love and brotherhood. The show will play for three weeks in Traverse 2 as part of the beginning of the Traverse's 40th anniversary celebrations.
Traditional music in Scotland will get more performing support with a grant of £40,000 towards the Celtic Connections festival. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the festival has planned three special projects involving a stellar line up of Scottish artists. These include; a new commission from Brian McNeill 'Back o the North Wind', 'Young Tradition and Inspired Apprentices' featuring new players with the performers who first inspired them and 'The Unusual Suspects' - a massive supergroup led by Dave Milligan and Corrina Hewat.
North Lands Creative Glass, in Caithness, has received a major boost in the form of a £34,843 grant towards the cost of its education programme. This centre of excellence has gained an international reputation for its education courses featuring leading artists from all over the globe. The organisation also hosts an annual conference which is a leading forum in the UK for discussion about artistic practice in contemporary glass. It offers high-quality, open access, specialist studio facilities to developing artists as well as a range of masterclasses and residencies to artists around the world.
Communicado Productions Ltd, based in Gorebridge, received £27,300 towards the cost of researching six play texts with a view to developing them for stage. Led by Gerry Mulgrew and Gerda Stevenson, a group of performers and other theatre professionals, such as choreographers and musicians, will explore themes and experiment with different techniques of delivering the plays. The work will be documented on video for a presentation to potential future funders to support future performances.
Theatre Cryptic, based in Glasgow, has received a £25,000 boost towards the cost of research and development of a new musical theatre work 'A World Away'. The work will become part of the company's repertoire and Theatre Cryptic is hoping it will be performed at other Scottish venues and internationally. The first performance is planned for September 2003 at Cove Park, Helensburgh.
Residents in the Outer Hebrides will also be celebrating the announcement of the £25,000 award to the Hebridean Celtic Festival. The major international four-day festival concentrates on Celtic music and is becoming a major highlight for visiting artists. The award will go towards the cost of research and development to further build on the Festival activities on offer.
Stellar Quines, has been awarded £14,745 towards a new outdoor project 'Sweet Fanny Adams in Eden'. The production premiers at the Scottish Plant Collectors Garden at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in July 2003 and in August at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. The production is the first outdoors for the company and is the result of extensive development involving public rehearsed readings and workshops. Featuring drama, installation and video, the play will be directed by Muriel Romanes.
Visible Fictions Theatre Company has been given a £10,000 award which will go towards the cost of a lighting designer and actors, together with more technical support and rehearsal time to enhance the production 'Monster'. The play is a new work for children with a target age range of 11 years and over. Touring in September and October 2003, the play will be visiting small-and middle-scale venues throughout Scotland.
Director of the Scottish Arts Council, Graham Berry said, 'Development of high-quality new projects is a key function of the Scottish Arts Council's National Lottery funding. By supporting established artists to complete exciting ideas, or to reach new audiences, we aim to ensure that Scotland's performers and producers are continually evolving and producing work that will challenge and enthral audiences for many years to come.'
Notes to editors
- The Scottish Arts Council champions and sustains the arts for Scotland, investing £56 million from Scottish Executive and National Lottery funding to support and develop artistic excellence and creativity throughout Scotland. Further information is available on our website: www.scottisharts.org.uk.
- Since 1995 the Scottish Arts Council has received a total of 4,903 lottery applications with requests totaling £731 million. Since 1995 they have awarded 2,060 totalling around £181 million.
Contact email(s)
media.office@scottisharts.org.uk
Issued by: Scottish Arts Council
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