£2m worth of funding has been granted to theatre companies across Northwest England.
This new announcement by Arts Council England states their launching the theatre breakthrough fund, a new 2-million-pound fund that redistributes investment previously allocated to Eclipse Theatre Company and released upon its closure.
This now means a possibility of helping Theatres in Salford such as the lowry.
The fund will support Black, Asian and ethnically diverse theatre makers in the North of England to make ambitious new work such as Sadiq Ali: Tell Me produced by Turtle Key Arts and appearing at the Lowery next year. This will maintain the Arts Council’s investment in and support for the types of ambitious new work and artistic opportunities for Black, Asian and ethnically diverse artists that the Eclipse Theatre Company was known for.
Applicants will be able to apply for grants of over £100,000 to support the creation, presentation, distribution and/or touring of new theatre works. While there is no maximum amount that can be applied for Fiona Davidson, Senior Communications Officer for the north states “we expect to make between 5 –10 awards from a total fund value of approximately £2m.”
This fund could be transformational for Manchester based professional theatre makers who are ready to take the next step in their career in the arts. The arts council state there looking to invest in individuals, organisations or consortia who can demonstrate how they would use the investment to enable growth and progression in their theatre making. They are also on the lookout for ideas that push boundaries and create new content or new collaborations which is an exciting proposition for creatives in the north from a diverse background.
This announcement comes on the back of The Arts Council England looking to help develop new audiences in the North From diverse backgrounds who have been historically underrepresented in the theatre world.
Stage 1 of applications is now open. There is a two-stage application process with funded activity starting after 1 October 2026.
Jen Cleary, Director North, Arts Council England said “We’re excited to launch this new fund today, which will offer transformative grants to Black, Asian and ethnically diverse artists and organisations in the North who are ready to breakthrough into a new phase of their theatre making. Through this programme, we’re keen to continue to support the type of work that Eclipse Theatre Company championed, enabling opportunities for artists and organisations to create ambitious, new and high-quality theatre at scale, and to reach new audiences across the North and beyond. We know that there’s a talented community of theatre makers and organisations here in the North and we are looking forward to seeing the ideas that are proposed.”