COVID-19

After five years of promoting UK arts and culture, encouraging international cultural export and exchange, and providing an information hub for the entire UK culture sector, the Culture Diary will close on 31 March 2021.

All Government programmes are kept under review. Following a recent evaluation of the Culture Diary, it has been agreed that the website will continue to support the planning and delivery of the Coventry 2021 City of Culture programme until 31 March 2022, but will otherwise cease to be updated after 31 March 2021.

The Royal Shakespeare Company has developed a unique version of the Midsummer Night's Dream described as "a live, shared experience between actors and online audience members" involving the latest gaming and theatre technology with an interactive symphonic soundtrack "in a pioneering collaboration". The production is a collaboraiton with virtual reality performance company Marshmallow Laser Feast and biennial creative industries festival leaders Manchester International Festival.

Leeds Playhouse will offer new theatre space as exclusive use for artists and companies in the Leeds City Region to help in the recovery of the cultural sector.

The take over of the studio space is being offered as part of Playhouse Connect, an ongoing response to the pandemic aimed at aiding reconnection and recovery within the City.

Enquire and book your slot on the Leeds Playhouse website.

Manchester City Council, with industry partners HOME, have announced a £500,000 hardship fund for freelancers working in Manchester, made possible by a generous gift from the Savannah Wisdom Foundation.

The Savannah Wisdom Foundation has created a discretionary fund to support freelancers working in the creative and cultural sectors who are facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. The charity is making up to £500,000 available in grants of £1,500 to individual freelancers.

The British Council has announced recipients of the Digital Collaboration Fund, supporting UK and overseas cultural partnerships to develop digitally innovative ways of collaborating.

After last year's online world-class ballet lessons with Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director and Principal Dancer, English National Ballet has launched a subscription service for on demand video classes for all skill levels. BalletActive is an additional service to ENB at Home which already offered full-length recordings of classic ballet performances for rent, including 'Akram Khan's Giselle' and 'Dust'. Learn more here.

Arts Council England, BFI, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England will accept applications for a second round of the Culture Recovery Fund in January 2021. With over £300 million in grants to be distributed for the period April to June 2021, these will be available to organisations to transition to full reopening within that time.

Arts Council England

The UK/Italy Season - the British Council’s first digital-led Season of Culture - took place 17 September - 30 November 2020. Supported by the British Embassy in Rome, it comprised over 50 virtual events spanning dance, literature, music, theatre and visual arts.

The Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund surpasses £1 billion milestone, supporting more than 75,000 jobs, with remaining £400 million on the way as plans for a further round of support announced.

£60 million in capital funding has been awarded for ongoing construction and maintenance with 75% awarded to organisations outside of London.

Southbank Centre has revealed the first digital Unlimited festival programme accessible to a global audience, featuring dance, performance, comedy, film, talks, workshops and art that celebrates the artistic vision of disabled artists over five days on 13-17 January 2021.