THE SHAKESPEARE Birthplace Trust will continue to receive vital national funding for another three years.
SBT chiefs say the ongoing Arts Council England funding – £672,000 over the three years – will enable them to inspire new generations of audiences with Shakespeare and his work, life and times, reaching out to people across the globe from his home town in Stratford.
SBT already welcomes over half a million visitors from across the globe to its Shakespeare family homes in the playwright’s home town as well as reaching over 4million people online.
Over the coming funding period, SBT aims to share Shakespeare’s words and his creative legacy with even more people.
Through its learning programme, SBT will look to reach 2million primary school children each year with its annual national celebration ‘Shakespeare Week’.
In awarding the funding, Arts Council England recognised the global reach of the SBT, its strong partnerships and ongoing success in widening access and increasing opportunities for children and young people.
SBT CEO Tim Cooke said: “The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is pursuing an energetic and contemporary journey of reimagining Shakespeare for our times whilst being rooted in a timeless mission to protect and care for a remarkable treasury of collections, archives and family homes which exist forever and for everyone.
“The ongoing support of Arts Council England means this mission continues with increased dynamism and creativity and, with our outreach and engagement programmes such as Shakespeare Week, we will connect with more diverse audiences across the UK and the world.”
The funding comes after the announcement the trust would continue to be a National Portfolio Organisation supported by Arts Council England. It was awarded NPO status in 2018 for the first time in its history.
Visit www.shakespeare.org.uk for further details.
