Dumfries and Galloway’s longest-running performing arts festival will now be able to extend its work throughout the coming year.
A £50,000 award from Creative Scotland plus support from Dumfries and Galloway Council through DG Unlimited and the William Grant Foundation has enabled Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival to roll out a year-long performing arts touring programme across the region.
This means the region’s audiences will have the chance to experience a diverse range of high quality live theatre, dance and music right on their doorstep.
Last September, festival organisers held a public meeting at Threave Gardens, Castle Douglas, to discuss the future of performing arts in Dumfries and Galloway. The idea of a year-round touring programme garnered very positive feedback and strong support from venue managers and promoters in attendance.
With the funding now in place, the new touring programme, entitled Dumfries and Galloway Arts Live, will run until the end of March 2017 when it will be evaluated and organisers hope it will become permanent.
This project was launched on Tuesday night at Loch Arthur, Beeswing, and begins in June with a mini tour of the region by the National Theatre of Scotland which brings the critically-acclaimed production of The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart to venues in Newton Stewart, Lockerbie and Sanquhar.
Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival chair, Ken Gouge, said: “We are delighted to be granted £50,000 from Creative Scotland. The award has enabled us to increase the money available for the project by gaining further support from the council, through DG Unlimited and the William Grant Foundation.
“At our public consultation in September, it was strongly acknowledged that Dumfries and Galloway was missing access to a programme of year-round quality performing arts that most other regions in Scotland and England have already established.
“With the funding, we will be able to pilot Dumfries & Galloway Arts Live for a year. At the end of the season, the project will be evaluated and, if successful, we intend this to be a permanent year-round programme.
“The money will be spent on extending the highly successful new way of operating the festival which last year saw our audiences grow by 47 per cent with ticket income growing by 60 per cent.”
As well as bringing top quality national and international performers and companies to audiences across the 3,992 square-mile region, the project will also help local venues, promoters and performing artists with technical and financial support to put on performances.
Ken added: “We are also hoping to be able to provide opportunities for young people and emerging performing artists from across the region to engage with visiting artists and companies.”
Arts Live programme director, Peter Renwick, said: “Over the coming year, Arts Live will aim to increase access to quality touring theatre and performing arts in Dumfries & Galloway, year round. It will support companies to tour in the region and increase public awareness and interest in performing arts events,
“We invite venues and promoters from across the region to get in touch and join our network.”
Laura Mackenzie-Stuart, Head of Theatre, Creative Scotland, said: “We are very pleased to be able to support the festival’s new project, Dumfries & Galloway Arts Live, ensuring rural communities across Dumfries & Galloway can access high quality arts performances.
“This project is a legacy of the Dumfries and Galloway Place Partnership and contributes to one of the main action points of Creative Scotland’s Theatre sector review – to support rural touring in the South of Scotland. We wish DGAF well with the launch.”
Alan Thomson, Policy and Development Co-ordinator, at DG Unlimited, said: “Our region has long envied those parts of Scotland covered by the various touring schemes, so when Dumfries and Galloway Festival first mooted the idea of their managing a touring programme for our area it was warmly welcomed.
“DGU was pleased to recommend this strategically important project for Regional Arts Fund support, which has in turn attracted substantial inward investment from Creative Scotland.
“Dumfries & Galloway Arts Live will benefit our local promoters and performance producers, improve the viability of our many venues but, above all, will give our local audiences more access to quality productions.”
Councillor Tom McAughtrie, Chair of the Council’s Community and Customer Services Committee, said: “It is superb news that the Dumfries and Galloway Arts Festival has secured funding for an arts touring programme for the region.
“This programme recognises our rural landscape and will create opportunities for people across the region to access high quality theatre and other live arts productions, which I warmly welcome.”
Touring productions already booked for the year include two visit from the National Theatre of Scotland; Fire Exit’s Course of True Love; and Virginia Woolf by Rapture Theatre.
For tickets to all performances and further information on Dumfries & Galloway Arts Live, visit www.dgartslive.org.uk or call the festival office on 01387 259627.
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