£46,500 boost for Watermill

First Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation grants announced

The Watermill theatre is to benefit from one of 22 grants awarded worth a total of £630,060 to projects across the UK and beyond by the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation, it was announced yesterday (Thursday).

The new grants will support emerging artists and the provision of music education, performing arts training and heritage skills.

Awarded £46,500 over three years, The Watermill will use their funds to provide a year-long Production and Stage Management Assistant position for three years.

Open to post A-Level students unable to afford university, the position will offer an alternative route into the industry and provide bespoke backstage training in a professional venue.

Support is spread across the length and breadth of the UK with programmes and initiatives reaching from Plymouth to Leeds, Northern Ireland, Wales and even further afield to the US.

Championing projects that break down barriers to participation in the arts, the Foundation prioritises projects engaging young people and supporting emerging artists and individuals from hard-to-reach and minority backgrounds.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said: "This latest round of grants reflects my passion for the importance of arts education, increasing diversity on and off stage and ensuring that the next generation is equipped to champion and preserve our heritage.

"Many of the projects require matched funding and I urge other philanthropists, foundations and government to recognise the benefits and step up to support the life-enhancing effects of the arts and heritage."