The Belgrade Theatre Trust is a registered charity (number 219163). This means that all the money given, raised or earned is not distributed as profit but kept and reinvested in the work that we do. We are reliant on the valued support of our donors and sponsors to ensure that we can continue to develop our artistic and educational work and remain central to the communities that we serve. This review will hopefully give you a flavour of the exciting work that we do at the Belgrade, but for more information please visit www.belgrade.co.uk/support-us
Arts and Culture Funding
In the last edition of Theatre Matters, we thanked all those who had supported the Belgrade, during 201415, helping to raise over £160,000 in donations and sponsorship. As a registered charity, it is important that we acknowledge the positive impact your support has upon the theatre and the communities it serves. However, as highlighted in the latest blog from our Executive Director, Joanna Reid, we are entering ‘Dangerous Times for Arts and Culture’.
“At the beginning of the summer two major reports came out that trumpeted the economic value of arts and culture to the UK economy. Recently we’ve published our own Annual Report which is necessarily upbeat and positive, broadcasting how successful we are at producing and presenting a vibrant, varied and quality offering of theatre and community arts activities to our City and Region.We are a business in the business of being seen to be successful so that we will continue to attract customers and funders. Despite the very big cuts already received across arts and culture, Government are intimating yet more cuts are coming, of between 25% and 40% via the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and also another round of cuts to Local Authority (LA) spending.The cuts to LA spending are a double whammy for arts organisations outside London who usually receive funding from their LA (For some reason London local authorities do not invest in arts and culture. Odd that). If you care about you, your family and your friends having access to quality arts and culture in your city and region; if want your City to be a place that buzzes with entertainment and excitement and attracts businesses to the locale, please write to your MP today. Please tell him or her that arts and culture must be protected in the current Comprehensive Spending Review.That it makes economic sense to protect that funding. And more importantly, that arts and cultural organisations make a place worth living and working in.” For the full blog post, published on Wednesday, 7 October 2015, please visit: http://www.belgrade.co.uk/news-and-blogs/blogs/dangerous-times-for-arts-and-culture
Making Memories – musical roses
As highlighted in the last edition of Theatre Matters, we have now launched our Making Memories campaign – as a visit the theatre at Christmas is a magical experience and often a treasured memory. However, for many families in need across Coventry and Warwickshire, making those memories is not always possible – due to financial hardship or illness. Therefore, in partnership with Coventry Foodbank, the campaign aims to provide 400 tickets to our Pantomime – Beauty and the Beast - offering families quality time together and the opportunity to reduce the sense of isolation that some people feel this time of year. The campaign aims to help 100 families and, as a thank you to our kind donors, a “leaf” will be placed on each purple rose hanging in the foyer of the Belgrade Theatre, every time the campaign raises enough to support a family. The 100 roses are displayed (left to right of the entire window, top row then the bottom row) as if each bud is a note of a well-known Christmas Carol. Can you guess which one? Look out on our website and social media platforms for further details of our ‘Making Memories Musical Mystery’ competition. To find out more, please visit www.belgrade.co.uk/memories