Borders arts festival receives £100,000 in funding from Creative Scotland
DunsPlayFest, the annual arts festival in the Scottish Borders has been awarded £100,000 by Creative Scotland to host the event for the next two years.
Organisers say that the funding provides a secure foundation on which to build the 2025 and 2026 festivals and will mean they can invest in bringing professional performing arts events to a bigger audience in Duns.
DunsPlayFest was established in 2019 by Director John McEwen and a group of local volunteers. It aims to provide a showcase for new theatre, new writing and new talent from the Borders and beyond.
Recent festival programmes have included an offering of over 60 performing arts events, including music, dance and spoken word performances, creative writing and theatre technical skills workshops, a creative writing programme with local schools and a Family Arts Day held in the grounds of Duns Castle.
Director John McEwen said: "We are immensely grateful to Creative Scotland whose first grant to us of £10,000 back in 2019, helped us to shape our vision of what has since become a solid and successful annual, nine-day festival of new drama: a whole-hearted celebration of community and creativity.
That the small market town of Duns, nestled in the heart of Berwickshire, a county with no professional theatre, should play host to what is now recognised as a major event in the Scottish theatrical year, is almost breathtaking.
Lorna Duguid, Multi-Artform Manager at Creative Scotland said: "The growth of DunsPlayFest over the last five years is testament to the passion and efforts of everyone involved in the festival.
"It has firmly cemented its position as a dynamic hub for showcasing new writing, offering a valuable platform for budding playwrights to showcase their talents. In doing so, it isplaying its part in enhancing the cultural landscape of the Scottish Borders."
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