Photo Credits: The Da Vinci Code, Mercury Theatre, photo Malachy Luckie.
We have some brilliant news to share. Stagetext has been awarded £183,356 from the Creative Foundations Fund, part of the government’s Arts Everywhere Fund, to renew captioning equipment to help us bring even more captioned theatre to deaf, deafened and hard of hearing audiences.
What is this funding for?
The funds come from Arts Council England on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and will pay for brand new captioning equipment and help us build a network of 12 hub theatres, one in each region of England. Each hub theatre will be loaned the new equipment and will share it with at least three other theatres nearby. That means up to 36 theatres across the country will be able to offer more captioned shows to deaf deafened and hard of hearing audiences. The project launches this month and the hubs will be rolled out over three years.
Why does this matter?
There are 18 million adults in the UK who are deaf, deafened or hard of hearing. That is one in three potential theatre goers who could benefit from captions. Most theatres only caption an average of two shows per run, and those accessible tickets can sell out very quickly. This funding will help to change that.
The funding is part of a wider £6.6 million investment across twelve cultural venues, museums and libraries in the East of England and Stagetext is one of 130 organisations to benefit from the Arts Everywhere Fund.
Amy, a caption user, said: “Theatre captioning has been transformational for me but it is so frustrating that there are so few shows with deaf access. The news that this funding could help provide more captioned shows, including outside of London, is fantastic and will change so many people’s lives.”
What Stagetext’s CEO said
Melanie Sharpe, CEO of Stagetext, said: “We are over the moon to receive this funding from the Creative Foundations Fund. For years, deaf, deafened and hard of hearing people have told us they want more choice, and for captioning to be available in smaller theatre spaces and at regional venues. It will enable us to support theatres and venues to do this, and is a huge milestone for Stagetext in its mission to provide more deaf access to arts and culture across the UK.
“Forty three per cent of the captioning we deliver is outside London, and we are passionate about expanding our reach. The new captioning equipment helps us deliver more captioning more often, as well as supporting more venues to run their own captioned performances. It is fantastic that Arts Council England has recognised that strengthening this infrastructure is essential to meet the ongoing demand.”
One of the hub venues
One of the 12 hubs will be based at Mercury Theatre in Colchester, Essex. Steve Mannix, CEO of Mercury Theatre, said: “Here at the Mercury, we are delighted to become a hub in the East of England to support the rollout of captioning across the region. We are particularly looking forward to working in partnership with Stagetext to increase the captioned shows we can offer for deaf and hard of hearing people. We will finally be able to offer accessible performances across our main theatre and studio concurrently.”
“For the first time, we’ll be working with other venues across the East to become a ‘hub’ and encourage them to programme captioned performances and events by training new local captioners and supporting them with equipment and advice. Together our aim is to ensure the arts remains accessible to all audiences.”
Our patron’s reaction
Stagetext Patron Samantha Baines said: “This is such fantastic news for Stagetext and for deaf audiences. Having access to more captioned shows is vital for the one in three people, like me, who have some form of hearing loss or deafness. Demand for captioned performances is very high, and having multiple captioned performances at accessible times is so important. I am delighted that Stagetext can be at the forefront of providing that to theatres.”
Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy said:
“I want everyone, everywhere to feel a sense of pride about where they come from. Cultural organisations across the East of England are important custodians of local identity and play a key role in the story we tell ourselves as a nation.
“Our Arts Everywhere Fund is delivering on our commitment to support cultural assets across the country, increasing access and preserving them for future generations. This is demonstrated by grants announced today that will benefit twelve culture venues, museums, and library services across the East of England.
“Arts and culture are the beating hearts of our communities; they have the power to unite us in the face of division and break down barriers to opportunity. We want to harness the power to help us build a brighter future for the people of the East of England.”
Hazel Edwards, Southeast Area Director, Arts Council England, said:
“We are proud to support this new wave of investment through the Museum Estate and Development Fund, the Libraries Improvement Fund, and the Creative Foundations Fund.
“These programmes are strengthening the cultural infrastructure that communities rely on every day, from vibrant local libraries and much‑loved museums to the creative organisations that bring imagination and innovation to our towns and cities.
“This funding will help safeguard historic buildings, modernise essential public spaces, and ensure that cultural organisations can continue to thrive, adapt, and inspire.
“By investing in the foundations of our cultural lives, we are helping to secure a more sustainable, more accessible, and more creative future for people across the East of England and beyond.”
