Theatres Trust, the national advisory and advocacy body for theatres, has awarded a total of £80,000 in grants to 12 community theatres in England, Northern Ireland and Scotland through its Small Grants Programme with The Linbury Trust.

Amongst the recipients in this round are several theatres who work with communities that would otherwise have limited access to the arts, whether they serve some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities; work specifically with children and young people or are based in rural areas.

These include Abbey Theatre Club in Arbroath; Ardhowen Theatre in Enniskillen; Ark in Cliftonville West, Margate; CYTO at The Shoestring in Croydon; Junction in Goole; Louth Riverhead Theatre in rural Lincolnshire Theatre; Lyra Artspace in Greater Craigmillar on the outskirts of Edinburgh and Theatre@41 in one of York’s most disadvantaged wards. Projects supported include reconfiguring spaces to provide better facilities, upgrading to energy efficient LEDs and replacing outdated stage equipment.

Lancaster’s theatres The Dukes and Lancaster Grand have both been awarded grants for new accessible technology that will increase the number and range of performances they can offer to d/Deaf, deafened and hard-of-hearing audiences. The Dukes will invest in a WatchWord closed-captioning system and two pairs of augmented reality glasses, while Lancaster Grand will upgrade its hearing support system to an Auri assistive listening system.

The final grants go to Ayr Gaiety Theatre and Rondo Theatre in Bath, both to upgrade their heating to smart systems so they are only heating the areas that are in use, saving the theatres money and reducing their energy consumption.

The ninth round of our Small Grants Programme will have a wide-reaching impact for a number of theatres deeply rooted in their communities. I’m particularly pleased that we are able to support so many theatres outside of major cultural centres, providing much needed access to the joy of the performing arts for often overlooked communities. The wide range of projects shows that theatre operators are being ambitious and innovative in making the most of their spaces, enabling them to reach more people in their communities, provide a better audience experience, and reduce their environmental impact

Stuart Hobley, Director, The Linbury Trust, said: Locally-loved theatres thrive on bringing joy and connection to everyone and these grants help to do just that. From improving the thrill of live theatre for people living with a sensory disability, to enabling young people to realise the excitement in discovering their creative potential, all of these theatres are embracing the deep and valuable role they play in modern life.

The next round of the scheme is currently open for applications with a deadline of 16th January 2026. More information here.