Excellence, innovationand reachArts Council England has set out its InvestmentStrategy for the next three years, one that hasat its heart excellence, ambition and judgement.It’s the most significant change to the ArtsCouncil’s portfolio in the history of ourorganisation.

Issue No. 27 03.08

newsfrom arts council england, north west

Image from The People’s Opening of Liverpool European Capital of Culture Year on Friday 11 January 2008. Photo: © Liverpool Culture Company

Between April 2008 and March 2011, Arts Council England will invest£1.3 billion of income from government in arts organisations and strategicarts initiatives.

We will fund 888 organisations in total, of which 266 will get more thaninflation. These include established organisations like the City ofBirmingham Symphony Orchestra, the National Youth Theatre andYorkshire Sculpture Park and younger organisations such as Kneehigh andthe Arcola Theatre.

A total of 487 organisations will receive rises in line with inflation andthere will be 81 new regularly funded organisations including HofeshShechter, Punchdrunk, and Artichoke.

These increases in funding will enable arts organisations to developexcellent art and deliver it to the widest range of people. It also empowersthose organisations to take artistic risks.

There are an exciting few years ahead as we respond to the McMasterreport, ensuring that excellence and high-quality arts experiences remain atthe heart of what we do. The arts are about exploring possibility; makingexcellence possible is what we are about.

After receiving further evidence, deliberation by Regional and NationalCouncil, and examination of the 126 responses received from artsorganisations, we revised a total of 17 funding proposals. The details ofthose revisions, and of all our funding decisions, are available from ourwebsite (http://www.artscouncil.org.uk).

I want the Arts Council in coming months and years to use this investmentstrategy to build its relationships with practitioners and the public, to buildon the political consensus that is emerging that the arts really matter.

Change of this nature is inevitably difficult, but no change would havebeen the easy option. I’m convinced that this is the right thing, and theright strategy to build a healthier, bolder, stronger arts environment in thiscountry.

Alan DaveyChief Executive

02

Alan Davey© Getty Images

This edition of news focuses on our investmentto our regularly funded organisations, which asAlan Davey says in his piece opposite, we havenow announced through to 2011.

Here in the North West we have confirmedfunding to over 100 organisations, at a totalvalue rising to £24.6 million per annum by2010-11. Of these, almost all are receiving atleast inflationary increases, and 38 are receivinggrowth in excess of this. In funding theseorganisations we wanted to ensure that we aregiving the right support to effective and thrivingorganisations that are delivering superb artacross the region. We were also keen to ensurethat we address our strategic aims, in particularincreasing opportunities for engagement in thearts across the region, and helping to grow thevisual arts.

So we have given an overall increase of 15% tothe visual arts sector, with, for example, a largeincrease to Liverpool Biennial to help them tofulfil their potential as an internationallyrecognised contemporary visual arts festival;and growth to Redeye, who provide criticalsupport for photographers across the region.

We have also given above inflationary increasesto many organisations that make a strongcontribution to this region’s particular strengthin participatory arts – companies like M6Theatre Company in Rochdale, Prescap inPreston, Action Transport in Ellesmere Port,Milap in Liverpool, and the Ashton Group inBarrow.

Four organisations are receiving three years’funding for the first time. Preston Carnival,Collective Encounters in Liverpool, PANDA inManchester, and Way Out West in Cumbria areall strategically key to helping ensure strongprovision across the region.

In all there were 17 to which we have decidednot to renew funding this time. These includedsix organisations where decisions had beenmade previously, over the course of the threeyears, for specific performance or policyreasons. We announced our proposals inDecember and made our final decisions inJanuary, having considered responses fromorganisations where we were proposingreductions or non-renewal. Of these wechanged two proposals in the final decision. Wehave confirmed one year’s funding to Queer UpNorth, pending a review of the delivery of thisyear’s festival, and one year’s funding to LipService, with scope for further funding to helpthem develop a new business model withoutArts Council regular funding.

We have had a great deal of support from arange of quarters for the overall approach andfor many of our specific decisions. But Irecognise that some of our decisions have beencontroversial, and, in particular, that there havebeen criticisms around both the process andour communication. We are reviewing theprocess to ensure that we learn any lessons thatcome out of it and want to hear views from,and discuss this with, our clients and partners inthe coming months. Please do get in touch.

In the meantime, we look forward to workingwith all our funded organisations, both thosewe support with regular funding, and throughGrants for the arts, to ensure that the region isfulfilling its artistic potential, and that all thepeople of the North West have a realopportunity to enjoy high-quality experiences inthe arts.

Michael EakinExecutive Director, Arts Council England,North West

Investment in the North West 03

Jane Blackburn. Photo: Ken Blackburn

04

Preston City Caribbean Carnival

Image from Preston City Caribbean Carnival. Photo: Ken Blackburn

It might feel like the dead of winter – but inPreston, it’s already carnival time!

Preston Caribbean Carnival takes place over theBank Holiday weekend at the end of May – butplanning is well underway.

With a proud history that spans more thanthree decades, the carnival is one of thehighlights of the city’s cultural calendar, and anopportunity to bring together people ofdifferent backgrounds to laugh, learn and livelife to the full.

Bright costumes, stunning music, dance, foodand drink are all part of carnival – and so is thefeeling of shared humanity and sense of comingtogether that an event like this can inspire.

Dian Flannagan, chair of the committee ofvolunteers who work all year round on thecarnival, says: ‘As soon as Christmas is over,people start thinking about carnival. We havealready been told that young people are askingwhen workshops will start, and we have startedplanning and promoting already.’

The workshops include costume-making, danceand music; and the planning and fundraisingevents in advance mean that there is alwayssomething to do – and some way to bringpeople together.

Dian says: ‘It is a wonderful event. Lots ofdifferent people take part in it, such as Chineseand Asian, it is a celebration of all cultures. Italso seems to really inspire and interest youngpeople, and by going to these workshops, andtaking part in all these different events, they arelearning new skills all the time. The same goesfor us on the committee – you might not noticehow much you are learning, but it allcontributes to your life skills and your abilities.’

This year the parade starts and finishes inAvenham Park, going on a tour that takes in thecity centre, the university, and the keycommunities of the city.

From 2009/10, Preston Caribbean Carnivalbecomes an Arts Council regularly fundedorganisation.

It is one of the oldest Caribbean carnivals in the

country and has been a project-funded client ofArts Council England for a number of years. Itinvolves a huge number of people from a widerange of backgrounds in bringing the streets ofthe city over May Day Bank Holiday alive withcolour, music and dance. It has steadily beenattracting increasing numbers of carnival goersfrom across the country.

The funding will allow the carnival to plan itsextensive community programme with thecomfort of confirmed funding. This funding isan effective way of Arts Council investing inhigh-quality celebratory work.

Dian says: ‘Having basic funding like this givesyou peace of mind – you can plan, you canbudget, and if you want to do something extra,you can do further fundraising. It is also a boostto morale and our reputation and shows thatwhat we are doing is valued.

‘Now, if we could only order up a bit ofCaribbean weather to go with it, everythingwould be perfect!’

For more information go towww.prestoncarnival.co.uk

The winning band from Preston City Caribbean Carnival 2007. Photo: Ken Blackburn

07

Coming up with original theatre for, by andwith young people is at the heart of everythingthat Action Transport Theatre Company does.

With a proud 23-year history, this award-winning organisation has engagedcountless children and young people with itswork.

That work revolves around new writing,performing and professional touringproductions.

Now, with confirmed Arts Council funding, theyare looking forward to a secure future andplanning an innovative range of projects.

David Selzer is chair of the board and is alsocurrently acting chief executive while theorganisation is in the process of recruiting anew director. He says: ‘We have taken the timeto really take a close look at the company, andwhat we do, what we excel at, and where weshould go next.

‘What we decided was to do fewer projects –but to do them bigger and better. We will beconcentrating on three major projects each year.One will be a participatory event, for exampleone in Whitby Hall. We are also involved inPlaying In The Gardens, which is part ofCheshire’s Year of Gardens.

‘There will be a professional touring event – inautumn it will be The Bomb, giving us thechance to reach new venues and newaudiences. In spring there will be a collaborativewriting project with young people, which wehope will result in a full production in spring2009. Other plans include an inter-generationalproject with Ellesmere Port Education

Improvement Project, and work with CheshireRural Touring Network.’

The unique combination of participation,writing and the fact that Action Transport isalso a high-quality professional touringcompany gives young people involved a veryrewarding experience – often providing themwith life-affirming opportunities that canchange the paths they take.

David says: ‘Some young people come to usfrom quite disadvantaged backgrounds – anddisadvantage can mean many different things.In particular, I know of two young people whohad been badly bullied, but coming andworking with us gave them the confidence andself-belief to move on with their lives, and oneof them has gone on to higher education andone into the workplace.

‘And, of course, there are young people whohave a talent and a desire to develop careers inthe theatre, and by working with our youththeatre or on our writing projects, they gaininvaluable experience.’

Action Transport’s extra funding will allow themto consolidate their extensive programme ofwork with and for young people at their base inEllesmere Port, and, increasingly, withcommunities across Cheshire and the region.

In the spring of 2008 a new artistic director willbegin work with Action Transport’s exceptionalmanagement team and look to build on thesuccesses of Joe Sumsion who was recentlyappointed as director of the Dukes in Lancaster.

To find out more visitwww.actiontransporttheatre.co.uk

Action Transport Theatre Company

Sally Evans in The Tree, by Sarah McDonald Hughes, one of 10 plays written as part

of the Croak project, Action Transport’s new writing programme, November 2007.

Photo: Sylvia Selzer

08

Performing Arts Network and Development Agency

Venus, Running to Paradise; from PANDA-monium, PANDA’s Manchester FirstsCommission in association with the Manchester International Festival.

Photo: Stacey Potter

The Performing Arts Network and DevelopmentAgency – PANDA – has held the hand of manyan emerging artist or arts organisation as theytook their first steps. And now, thanks to theirstatus as an Arts Council regularly fundedorganisation, they are in a position to help evenmore.

We’re offering funding to PANDA for the first-time as we recognise the importance ofsuch support for individual and emergingcompanies. PANDA is clearly valued by itsmembers in Manchester, and our investmentwill allow it to improve its services and workwith artists and companies across the NorthWest. This funding is an effective way of ArtsCouncil reaching and supporting a largernumber of artists.

The network started its life five years ago, basedin the Greater Manchester area. It soon becameapparent, though, that there was a need for itsvaried range of high-quality support andresources in the independent performing artssector across the North West.

The organisation revolves around three corestrands – network, development and agency. Inreality this means a superb website that profilesmembers skills; an opportunities section thatcovers everything from ‘call for short horrorcomedy scripts’ to full-time job vacancies, and awide range of training opportunities, events andproject management services.

PANDA also plays a vital role in bridging thegap between the arts and the corporate world.

Director Liz O’Neill says: ‘For some reasonpeople in the arts tend to be frightened by theword ‘business’. I like to think that we supportand nurture developing artists, helping peopleto find ways to earn a living from their artformsas they start out on their career.

‘We have 400 members and help many morethan that. People come to us for all sorts ofreasons – looking for something specific, like arehearsal room, through to looking for amentor, or experience or advice. We havedeveloped fantastic partnerships, and if wecan’t help, we know someone who can. Wealso know that we can speak on behalf of theindependent performing arts sector; it uses usas a voice. Someone once described us as being‘the mother to the stars of the future’!

‘What this core funding will do is give us thestability to further expand our work region-wide; to continue development projectslike the Producers’ Consortium, and help manymore emerging and established artists.

‘The funding might be coming to us as anorganisation, but it will be used to support anddevelop hundreds of others in their careers inthe arts. Not everyone can get their ownfunding or grants – but by using PANDA, theycan tap in to a resource that will give them thecontacts and the skills to succeed.’

For further details go to www.panda-arts.org.uk

11

the BluecoatOn 15 March, the Bluecoat in Liverpool opensits doors again for the first time since 2005. Itsreopening follows the completion of a £12.5million capital project that combines renovationand refurbishment of the 18th century buildingwith the addition of a new wing by Dutcharchitects BIQ.

The building is already attracting criticalacclaim. The programme launch took place on7 February ahead of the reopening date whichis keenly looked forward to by the people ofLiverpool. There is very likely to be a stampede,as this is one of the most eagerly awaitedcultural events of the city’s 2008 celebrations.

Nobody feels that sense of importance – andresponsibility – more than the chief executive,Alastair Upton.

He says: ‘This is the oldest building in the citycentre; it has a long and proud history, and it ismuch loved. As with any much-loved building,it holds very special memories for a lot ofpeople – it might be to do with art, or it mightbe to do with who they’ve snogged in thegarden when they were younger!

‘It is a huge responsibility. Our task is to move itforward, and that involves change, which isalways a risk. We think – we hope – that wehave got it right!’

The Bluecoat is one of the Arts Council’sregularly funded organisations, and offers oneof the most varied cultural, artistic andbusiness-related venues in the country. It givesvisitors the chance to see and experience newart; to enjoy the atmosphere of this specialbuilding, to be challenged and surprised.

It offers artists a space and an opportunity toexhibit, display and perform. It offers creativeindustries superb outlets for their businesses.

As part of a strategy designed to shape andsupport an arts sector committed to deliveringexcellent art to the widest range of people, andone empowered to take artistic risk, theBluecoat has received a significant increase infunding for the period 2008-2011 from the ArtsCouncil. This increase includes provision forenhancement of its opening programme - afeatured highlight of Liverpool’s Capital ofCulture - as well as future programmes and isintended to enable the consolidation oforganisational restructure in the context ofcapital redevelopment.

Alastair says: ‘Nobody else is doing what we aredoing – the range of things we are doing. Thereis visual art, dance, music, spoken word, live art,literature. There are artists’ studios, retail units,so many different things going on. The idea isthat it all works together, it is all a collectiveorganism to support creativity.’

The £12.5 million investment has not justreshaped the building – but the ethos behindthe Bluecoat.

Alastair says: ‘It is not just about a physicalredevelopment, but also an organisational one.It is about taking what has always made theBluecoat so special and cherished but alsotrying to keep it moving and alive. Trying notonly to get a new building open on time is achallenge in itself – but the weight ofexpectation is also one.

‘We have worked incredibly hard. But at theend of the day, we can ‘run’ the Bluecoat untilthe day it opens – then it becomes a wholedifferent concept, then we have to respond towhat other people want, and change andevolve to combine its sense of purpose andspace with their views and needs, and growtogether.’

To find out more visitwww.thebluecoat.org.uk

the Bluecoat: Visualisation created by Uniform

Grizedale ArtsYou might not expect to find a thriving andinnovative art community halfway up a mountainin the Lake District.

But with Grizedale Arts, it really is best to expectthe unexpected – be it sending artists to Japan toNOT create art; creating their own TV station orasking their guests to muck in on the farm.

‘One of our aims,’ says deputy director AlistairHudson, ‘is to think creatively in everything wedo, and that includes how we run theorganisation.’

One of the main projects of Grizedale at themoment is the grand opening of their new HQ,Lawson Park Farm, in October. The historicbuilding dates back to the 14th century and haslinks with Ruskin.

Alistair says: ‘It is not an arts centre as such, buta resource – there will be residencies of course,but also a place for conferences, for weekendevents, a kind of think tank for artists and thelocal, national and international communitiesthat use it. This allows us to think and worktogether artistically, socially and politically.

‘There will be quite a contradiction – the buildingwill look just as old and charming from theoutside, but inside it will be really hi tech withstate of the art facilities, super-connected to theworld. But we also intend not to furnish it in astark white Ikea minimalist kind of way, but touse it to display a collection of furniture throughthe ages that shows the history of British design.’

Design is taken a step further with theircollaboration with leading UK fashion designerGiles Deacon, who has come up with the farmuniforms for Grizedale. Guests might be asked tomuck in – but at least they’ll look good whilethey do it! That also provides the subject matter

for their first TV foray, Agrifashionista, which willbe followed up with more TV programmes andultimately a mobile TV studio that travelsthrough Europe.

At the heart of Grizedale, though, remains itscommitment to art and making art useful –offering residencies, support and exciting projectsin the UK and beyond. Their ethos also takes inthe vital partnerships between art, artists andcommunities: including a project in the Cumbrianmarket town of Egremont on a new artsprogramme; The Seven Samurai in Japan andshortly a long-term project in a remote village inChina.

Two of their resident artists, Karen Guthrie andNina Pope, also recently won the Northern ArtPrize.

Arts Council England’s investment into GrizedaleArts supports an exceptional programme of work– international residencies, research and supportopportunities for artists, commissions andparticipatory work with local and internationalcommunities. Grizedale Arts have an in-depthunderstanding of the rural and work through itsvaried identities and cultural currencies tooperate as catalysts for quality engagement withthe visual arts.

Over 2008/09 Grizedale Arts will receive anincreased investment to support the organisationas it builds up to the launch of its new site,Lawson Park Farm. The completed site will offer anew model arts institution of national andinternational standing based in the North West,and act as a hub for Grizedale Arts’ growingnetwork of incoming and outgoing local,national and international activity.

To read more about Grizedale Arts visitwww.grizedale.org

Lawson Park from the air. Photo: Webb Aviation

Kerry Stewart’s grieving swan, outside the regenerating Lawson Park. Photo: AdamSutherland

The Big Art Project is one of the UK’s mostambitious ever public art commissioningschemes set up by Channel 4. It is supported byArts Council England and The Art Fund, theUK’s leading independent art charity. Progress isbeing filmed by Carbon Media/PrincessProductions, for a series to be broadcast laterthis year, which will offer a candid account ofthe successes and pitfalls on the journeytowards achieving new public art.

Of the seven UK sites selected, two are in theNorth West, in Burnley, Pennine Lancashire andSt Helens, Merseyside.

Acclaimed UK arts collective, Greyworld, willlaunch Burnley’s Big Art Project with a publictown centre celebration on Friday 14 March. Itwill be the first of all the Big Art Project sites tobe unveiled. Burnley has been used byGreyworld as a living canvas to create Invisiblea series of paintings and projections whichappear and disappear throughout the day andnight, on sites across the town centre. Some areas big as a house, some as small as a door.

The Big Art Project in Burnley is supported byCreative Partnerships East Lancashire, BurnleyBorough Council, Tesco, Arts and Business,Northwest Regional Development Agency, TheNorthern Way and Better Burnley.

In St Helens, the internationally acclaimed artistJaume Plensa has been commissioned todevelop a new artwork for the former SuttonManor Colliery site. The Big Art Project in St Helens is being delivered by St Helens Councilin partnership with the Big Art Trust. It is beingcurated by Liverpool Biennial with the active

involvement of a group of particularly positiveand passionate former miners. An extensiveengagement programme to inspire and directlyinvolve the community is being run in alongsidethe main commission. Detailed proposals aredue to be submitted for planning considerationsoon.

The Sutton Manor site has a rich culturalresonance and prominent location beside thebusy M62 motorway midway betweenManchester and Liverpool. The forward-lookingartwork is intended to symbolise St Helens’positive post-industrial transformation and tobecome a new regional icon for the NorthWest. The project is also being supported by theForestry Commission, the North West CoalfieldCommunities Regeneration Programme, Artsand Business, and The Northern Way.

For more information on the Big Art Projectin Burnley and St Helens go towww.channel4.com/bigart;www.bigartpro.co.uk; andwww.bigartsthelens.com

14

Lesedi Khumalo, Sam Thompson and Joanna Embley, three of the Burnley Big Artgroup of young people recording their scripted radio ad about the artwork andforthcoming launch event at 2BR radio station in Nelson, Lancashire. Photo: © Channel 4 Photography

Artist Jaume Plensa, pictured at the colliery gates in St Helens with the nominatinggroup of ex miners and Liverpool Biennial curator Laurie Peake. Photo: © Channel 4 Photography

Do you want to help support the arts in the North West? We are looking for two people to join our North West Arts Council.

Our Council of 15 people from across the region meets around five times a year to provide strategicguidance on our work and our investment in the North West.

Council members are from a range of backgrounds and live or work in the North West. They arepassionate about the arts, and should:l have a knowledge and understanding of the arts and the regionl to be able to command respect within the arts constituencyl have the ability and willingness to act as advocates for the artsl be an imaginative and strategic thinker with the ability to contribute to effective decision makingl be committed to diversity in its broadest sense The time commitment for the role is up to 12 days per year. Members of regional council serve on avoluntary basis (although expenses are paid).

To request a pack please contact Lee Hall, Executive Assistant, Arts Council England, North West,Manchester House, 22 Bridge Street, Manchester M3 3AB; phone: 0161 827 9221; textphone: 0161834 9131; email: lee.hall@artscouncil.org.uk

You can get this information in Braille, large print, audio CD and in electronic formats. Please contact usif you need any of these formats.

The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Friday 4 April.Arts Council England is committed to equal opportunities in recruitment and employment. We welcomeapplications from ethnic minorities, who are currently under-represented in our organisation.

Look out for Big Dance 2008

Big Dance is a national celebration of peopledancing. It celebrates the diversity, accessibility andthe fun of dance. It creates unusual events inextraordinary places and invites everyone to getinvolved.

The first Big Dance took place in 2006, with over700 classes, workshops and performances atlocations including Bury town centre, Manchester’sExchange Square and Cathedral Gardens, Liverpool’sSt Georges Hall, Blackpool Tower Ballroom as well ason Brighton Beach, the Humber Bridge, Dartmoor,Trafalgar Square and in football clubs, schools andstreets across the country.

Get ready - Big Dance is returning to the North Westin 2008. Look out for opportunities to take part.

You can start preparing by joining a dance class,going to see dance performances or why not makeyour own dance?

Find out about dance classes and performancesin your local area:l Cheshire Dance – www.cheshiredance.orgl Cumbria County Council –

www.cumbria-artefacts.org.uk/projectsl Dance Initiative Greater Manchester –

www.digm.orgl Ludus Dance (Lancashire) – www.ludusdance.orgl Merseyside Dance Initiative –

www.merseysidedance.co.uk

Watch this space for furtherdevelopments

www.artscouncil.org.uk/bigdance

5-13 July 2008

newsnews from Arts Council England, North West is aquarterly publication.Edited by julie.leather@artscouncil.org.ukPhone: 0161 827 9226

The next issue of news is due out in late spring.

You can get this publication in Braille, in large print,on CD and in electronic formats. If you need any ofthese formats, please contact us as follows.Phone: 0845 300 6200; textphone: 0161 834 9131;email: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk

change of addressIf you move house or premises or if yournewsletter is being sent to the wrong person,please notify our communications unit on 0161827 9256.

information updateIssue 20 of our bi-monthly online Informationupdate, which includes details of funding,opportunities, jobs, courses, conferences andseminars, and publications, is available on ourwebsite. The production schedule for the nextissue is as follows:

issue copy deadline publishing date21 Monday 31 March Friday 4 April

Please let us have any material you would likeincluded by 5pm on the copy deadline date, bypost, fax or email. The email address to send copyto is digest.nw@artscouncil.org.uk

Please note that we do not include listingsof arts events.

Staff updateWill Carr left the Arts Council on 4 January2008 to become Director at The Poetry School(London), and Alex Middleton joins us on 10March 2008 to fill the role of Assistant Officer,Media Arts and Literature. Maureen Jordan hasbeen appointed to the role of Director, Liverpool(fixed term to March 2009) from January 2008.Stephen Baker was appointed to the role ofHead of Communications and Marketing asfrom 1 January 2008. Lindsey Vigurs wasconfirmed in the role of Assistant Officer, Artswith effect from 21 January 2008. Lindseybegins maternity leave in April and recruitmentto maternity cover for this role is underway.Barry Davidson was appointed to the role ofActing Officer, Planning and Assessment witheffect from January 2008. Rebecca Jonesfinished her role as Administrator, ExternalRelations and Development (maternity cover) on11 January 2008 and Eunice Toh returned fromher maternity leave to take up her substantive postof Administrator in External Relations andDevelopment on 24 December 2007. ClaireGarratt has started her maternity leave and LisaBeauchamp took up the role of Administrator,Arts Department (maternity cover) on 10December 2007. Roddy Gauld was confirmed inthe role of Officer, Theatre from 11 February 2008.

Creative PartnershipsCathy Cross left Creative Partnerships Merseysideon 21 February 2008 to take up a freelance role.Claire Morris left Creative PartnershipsManchester Salford on 25 January 2008.

contact usArts Council England, North WestManchester House22 Bridge Street Manchester M3 3ABPhone: 0845 300 6200 Fax: 0161 834 6969Textphone: 0161 834 9131Email: enquiries@artscouncil.org.uk

Arts Council England www.artscouncil.org.ukCharity registration no 1036733

Correction In the last issue of news (issue no 26), onpage 13 we incorrectly stated that RoseTheatre is set in the campus of Liverpool HopeUniversity. Rose Theatre is part of Edge HillUniversity and, as reported, was originally builtin the 1960s for the use of Edge Hill dramastudents. It opened its doors to the public in1993 and has since developed into a well-known professional theatre that plays host tohigh-profile touring companies and alternativeartistes. For further information about RoseTheatre visitwww.edgehill.ac.uk/Sites/RoseTheatre