Arena Theatre Confirms Status As National Portfolio Organisation

The University of Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre has secured a further four years' funding worth almost £450,000 from Arts Council England, maintaining its status as a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) - a position it has held since 1999.

As an NPO, the Arena Theatre will receive funding from Arts Council England for the next four years, which will continue to support the theatre's core activities including producing and programming small-scale theatre productions, and ensuring the venue and its work remains accessible and open to all in the local community.

The funding from Arts Council England will supplement the support the venue receives from the University of Wolverhampton. Through its education and artist development work, the theatre raises aspirations amongst young people and artists in the region to pursue careers in the Creative Industries both on-stage and off.

With the support of the University of Wolverhampton and Arts Council England, the Arena Theatre can continue to offer its development programmes free of charge for all to access, sustaining an open-door policy in line with the University of Wolverhampton's University of Opportunity mission statement.

Neil Reading, Artistic Director at the Arena Theatre, said: "We are delighted to be continuing as part of the Arts Council portfolio of organisations. It is a privilege to serve the wide variety of audiences in Wolverhampton and across the wider region and we look forward to three more years of providing innovative theatre experiences for everyone. We're really keen to connect with artists and theatremakers from across the city, so if you have an idea you'd like to develop, pop in and say hello."

National Portfolio Organisations are a group of arts and cultural organisations that receive funding from Arts Council England to help them achieve their artistic and creative ambitions, as well as measure their wider social and economic impact.

To find out more about the Arena Theatre visit the website.