19 drama school students from across the UK have been awarded a total of £77,500 worth of bursaries by the Society of London Theatre (SOLT), to help them complete their training. Established by SOLT in 1987 to mark Laurence Olivier’s 80th birthday, the Laurence Olivier Bursaries provide financial support to exceptional students entering their final year of drama school, and facing financial difficulties which might jeopardise their studies.
A packed line-up of 34 hit West End shows has been unveiled so far ahead of this year’s West End LIVE, a free and unticketed celebration of London’s world-leading theatre scene which comes to Trafalgar Square on the weekend of 25 and 26 June. More acts are due to be announced in the next few weeks, as London gears up for the biggest ever West End LIVE.
The UK theatre industry’s two leading membership associations, Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, today announced a unique partnership with data and insight specialists Baker Richards to develop a new ‘Evidence Centre’.
The Theatre Artists Fund has delivered 1,670 emergency grants in a seventh round of giving, providing vital aid to freelance theatre workers impacted by the recent Covid surge and subsequent show cancellations.
A new report has been published today (Thursday 3 February) raising awareness of the specific needs of London’s historic theatres and their role as a vital asset to the city’s night time economy, central to pandemic recovery. ‘A Call to Action – Securing the future of London’s theatres’ sets out the unique operational and access requirements of the London theatre industry and calls for better collaboration between theatre operators and those responsible for London’s public realm, highways and land usage, to protect the invaluable cultural heritage that has been part of London’s identity for over 350 years.
Formed in response to the theatre closures caused by the current pandemic, the first round of the Theatre Artists Fund, established by theatre organisations UK Theatre and Society of London Theatre (SOLT) has supported 2,600 theatre workers and freelancers with emergency grants during this challenging time. Supported by various donors, including Netflix and Arts Council England, the second round of the fund is currently open until Friday 20th November. The Theatre Artists Fund team tell us more about the impact of this year’s pandemic on the industry, how to apply for the fund and how it has supported its recipients.
Love going to the theatre, and have a list of shows that you’d like to see this year? Or in your life time? Well, Theatre Tokens may just be the ticket… or voucher for you! Theatre Tokens is a gift voucher scheme, allowing for theatre lovers to purchase tickets for the UK’s best loved theatre shows in over 240 theatre venues. Vouchers do not expire, and range from £5 to £20 denominations. Theatrefullstop were able to speak to Marketing Manager Megan Hall to find out more about the scheme.
