An update from Eastern Angles'
Artistic Director:
I want to assure you that Eastern Angles is in a good place to survive this current crisis. I have been part of Eastern Angles for nearly 40 years (we started planning for the company in 1981!) and I have never known anything like these times or these challenges, but through careful stewardship of our resources, flexible planning and minimal overheads, we have built up reserves to help us cope with events like this that are beyond our control.
We have been overwhelmed by the generous donations we have received from the courses we’ve been running, the 'refuse the refund' initiative and just well-wishers who want us to survive. Our donations total currently stands at over £4,000, which will go towards the cost of making our future performances safe and adapting our venues to social distancing. Our target is £7,000, so any donation, no matter the size, is very welcome to support our forthcoming work.
And what is on the horizon? Well, it’s pretty exciting...
We should be moving into our new space very soon. Inevitably things have been delayed but we should be in by the end of September! And what a lot of brilliant stuff there is on the way: new community projects, a new name, which you can help us decide, and a potential plan for delivering our Winter show. Watch out for news items on all these things.
Currently our staff are on furlough, but we have managed to secure extra support from Government grants, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Esmée Fairbairn and the New Anglia LEP, who are helping us reconfigure the SJM and other business plans. Plus Arts Council England has extended all National Portfolio Organisation funding until 2023.
Throughout this period we have continued, where possible, to support our freelance producers, directors, designers and performers, and will continue to do so as we move forward. We will also follow up our support for Black Lives Matter, help our volunteers and to make plans for the future.
Please support us and help Eastern Angles resume its celebration of our regional heritage, touring programme and community engagement.
Ivan Cutting