Major grant to help 'rebuild' Norwich Theatre Royal in wake of coronavirus pandemic

Norwich Theatre Royal has been awarded a grant of nearly a quarter of a million pounds to invest in digital technology allowing more people to be reached.

The theatre has been given £240,000 by the Garfield Weston Foundation, a charitable organisation which has supported UK causes since 1958.

The money will be used to buy digital equipment that will allow shows to be streamed easier, and people to take part in collaborative events virtually.

The theatre will also be hiring a digital producer, and investing in front-of-house screens for when audiences are able to return.

Chief executive Stephen Crocker said the grant should help their content reach wider audiences when performances are allowed to resume.

He said: "As we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, we are more committed than ever before to our core mission of making creative experiences of all sorts available to as many people as we possibly can. 

"This grant comes at a perfect time as we begin to consider how we rebuild our organisation, define a new culture and forge ahead with new strategies, all of which will have digital creation and engagement at their heart.  It will be truly transformative."

Like much of the sector, the Theatre Royal has been hit hard by the pandemic, announcing the loss of 165 jobs in August.

When permitted by coronavirus restrictions, however, shows have been staged, such as a series of performances in a big top at the city's Chapelfield Gardens during the summer.

Trustees at the Garfield Weston Foundation said they were impressed by "the entrepreneurial spirit shown across the arts in response to Covid-19" when deciding who to award grants to.

Philippa Charles, director of the foundation, said: "It was a privilege to hear what organisations had been doing to not only survive but also to reinvent the way they reach audiences.

"What really stood out was the level of collaboration and support they had for each other and the determination to keep going, despite the increasingly difficult situation.

 "We all want and need our cultural sector to thrive and, if anything, our time away from the arts has shown just how important they are to us – bringing much needed pleasure and enrichment to our lives.

"Arts organisations are desperate to re-open and get back to what they do best, and we hope that this new funding will help many of them do exactly that."