A Clonter representative says:
It is with a huge sense of relief that we received the news on Monday that Clonter was one of the 1,385 cultural organisations to have been awarded a Government Culture Recovery grant as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF).
We would like to thank Arts Council England, Department of Culture Media and Sport, our MP Fiona Bruce, Cheshire East, HM Treasury and YOU. Your generosity had a huge part to play in the success of the bid. In order to qualify for this funding Clonter had to produce a cashflow which showed we would not just be using this funding to plug the hole of lost ticket revenue, but that we could continue to contribute to cultural life in the North West during Covid. We also had to prove that Friends, donors, other charitable institutions were still prepared to support us through this period and that Clonter’s survival would not be totally dependent on recovery funding.
We are immensely grateful to YOU and all those who continue to support our work at this time. It is a real endorsement of Clonter’s 46 year track record of working with highly experienced and skilled creative practitioners, providing a safe place for emerging artists to develop their skills to compete for jobs in a very competitive and demanding industry.
This national recognition of Clonter’s work makes us more determined than ever to play our part in keeping all the amazingly talented people we work with in the forefront of people’s minds at this time, ready for when theatres are able to open their doors again.
The £100,000 grant was awarded in part to mitigate the loss of 8 weeks of ticket revenue as well as enabling us to continue our digital outreach programme, showcasing emerging talent and entertaining isolated audience members from behind closed doors, with the support of Clonter’s dedicated team, until audiences are allowed back and ticket and event hire revenue returns.
Whilst schools are unable to visit our theatre we are adapting our educational outreach programme to the changing needs of schools and those educating children at home with virtual workshops, shows and Window Sill Theatre Packs.
Until we meet again we hope you are enjoying our Saturday evening digital outreach which is FREE for Clonter Friends and Patrons.
If you are having problems accessing any of the concerts please get in touch and we will talk you through how you can access them and even watch them on your television!
COMING SOON John Dhali, the Winner of the Betty Bannerman Award for French Song Recital, the Gospel, delayed Jazz in June, and ending 2020, a Christmas Special Tea with..., but before all that, we would like to share the Barber of Seville Overture with you, filmed in Lockdown, a fully staged production of which we hope to be able to present to you next July.
In the meanwhile, you can watch Clonter Sinfonia’s overture to the Barber of Seville here.