Birmingham Royal Ballet - Arts Council England's Capital Investment Programme Award

[Jan McNulty]

I've just come across this item on BRB's website:

 

Arts Council England's Capital Investment Programme Award

23 October 2013
 

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet is thrilled to announce it is a successful recipient under Arts Council England’s Capital Investment Programme. Earlier in the year the Company was successful at Stage One of the Capital application process. The Company continued to Stage Two securing an award of £1.85m. This substantial grant will allow Birmingham Royal Ballet to undergo major improvements to its home base in the Midlands.

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s home, part of the Birmingham Hippodrome complex, has remained untouched for 23 years since the Company moved from London to Birmingham in 1990. The award will see Birmingham Royal Ballet update its Thorp Street rehearsal home from a private space to a sustainable and adaptable multi-purpose building fit to accommodate its 180-strong work-force and visiting personnel, including young people of all ages. Improvements will allow the Company to build on the delivery of a wide range of activities expected of a modern and outward-facing world-class ballet company.

 

Birmingham Royal Ballet aspires to transform its premises into accessible first-class rehearsal facilities, which welcome the public whilst providing a 21st-century working environment for its staff. By addressing the existing design and physical limitations of the building, the major refurbishment will allow the Company to deliver further public engagement initiatives thereby strengthening the Company’s ability to put learning and outreach work at the heart of its artistic and organisational strategy.

 

The total cost of refurbishment will be £2.7m and Birmingham Royal Ballet will raise the remainder of the funding from private sources as part of its Campaign for the Future.

 

The Company aims to gain a minimum of £100,000 per annum (based on present costs) improvement in financial resilience through a combination of efficiencies and additional income. Adaptations to improve building management include the use of solar panels yielding energy savings of up to 10%.

 

Christopher Barron, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Chief Executive said: 'We are thrilled to receive the Arts Council England funding. It will enable us to create world-class studio facilities and continue to attract the world’s best talent to Birmingham. It will improve access for the many young people involved with Birmingham Royal Ballet and provide excellent audience development and fundraising facilities. In the current climate it will contribute to the Company’s strategic objective of establishing long-term financial sustainability, less reliant on public subsidy.'

 

He continued: 'The refurbished facilities will enable an increased delivery of community work in-house offering unique, first-hand experience of dance and Birmingham Royal Ballet. The optimal studio configuration will enhance the Company’s scope for rehearsing and staging large-scale ballet and provide outstanding facilities to attract, retain and care for elite dancers.'

 

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: 'We are delighted to offer this award to Birmingham Royal Ballet.Their rehearsal space hasn’t been updated for more than 20 years, and they are now in a position to redevelop the Thorp Street premises, making it accessible for all.'

 

'We are working hard with organisations in the cultural sector to increase their sustainability both financially and ecologically. This award does both and demonstrates the Company’s commitment to finding more environmentally efficient ways of doing business, whilst creating the best value-for-money possible.'

 

ENDS

 

http://www.brb.org.uk/7773.html