ACE Awards The Regent Theater £50,000 Grant to Support Creative Learning

Arts Council England (ACE) and the National Lottery have awarded The Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent a £50,000 Grant to support Creative Learning partnership activities around Glyndebourne on Tour's schools performance of La Cenerentola at the theatre in December.

The main aims of this special Performance for Schools are to change perceptions of opera, to make it accessible for all and to get as many local children along to the performance as possible, for as little as £5 per ticket. The funding will provide extensive resources for local schools to support their trip to The Regent.

This unique performance of Rossini's La Cenerentola (a retelling of Perrault's classic fairy tale, Cinderella) is one of only two Performances for Schools in this year's Tour, the other being held at Glyndebourne in October. In December 2008, the Regent Theatre became the first touring venue outside of East Sussex to hold a Performance for Schools, with a re-telling of The Magic Flute.

Glyndebourne and The Regent's Creative Learning Department have also invested funds to support programmes of activity in which children can participate before and after the performance. The projects will be led by Glyndebourne's artistic team and will culminate in opera performances by the children.

Jo Blagg, Creative Learning Manager: "The Arts Council England award is wonderful news for the children of Stoke-on-Trent and really pushes forward the vital work we have already accomplished with local children on opera projects. The grant underlines a confidence by Arts Council England for projects like these to take place in our city and helps us in developing work we are very much engaged in."

Katie Tearle, Glyndebourne Head of Education: ‘'We are thrilled that Arts Council England through the National Lottery are supporting this partnership to offer opportunities for children and young people to experience opera, many for the first time.'

Glyndebourne on Tour is one of the world's finest opera companies and has taken an annual residency in Stoke-on-Trent since 1999. The Regent has built a strong relationship with Glyndebourne over the years and in turn, the opera company has established significant links with the local community through creative learning activities.

Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people's lives. As the national development agency for the arts, ACE support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.

Between 2008 and 2011, ACE will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

The La Cenerentola Performance for Schools is on Friday 3 December at 2pm and is aimed at Year 4 and above. To book tickets call the Group Sales Line on 0844 871 7619. Booking fees apply.

Teacher Online Resources will be available from September. Please contact stokecreativelearning@theambassadors.com