An update from Melanie Sharpe, Stagetext Chief Executive
It’s been a great day here at Stagetext as we received the news that our application for an emergency grant from the Culture Recovery Fund has been approved.
The funding was made available to help arts organisations face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, and we are one of 1,385 cultural and creative organisations who have been given some urgently needed support.
During the pandemic, Stagetext has remained open, supplying access to some of the largest and most popular online shows and events, but behind the scenes we have had to make a lot of tough decisions to keep ourselves afloat.
This money will ensure that we can continue to supply access across all platforms throughout what remains of this pandemic, as well as looking forward to how Stagetext will provide its services in the future. It will help us continue our advocacy work within the sector and ensure that d/Deaf access isn’t forgotten during these difficult times.
The money is also a lifeline to our staff, many of whom have spent a lot of the year furloughed or working reduced hours while still going above and beyond to keep Stagetext going. We will now be able to bring our staff back to full capacity.
It has been fantastic to see such a high level of support for the arts during these tough times, and we’d like to thank DCMS, HM Treasury, and Arts Council England, who have all worked hard to make this funding available and ensuring the arts has a sustainable future.
We’re excited to have our full team back and the support needed to continue making theatres, museums and galleries a welcoming place for d/Deaf, deafened, and hard of hearing audiences.
