The Arts Council of Wales’ ‘Night Out’ scheme has been a remarkable success in communities across Wales since its first performance was staged in 1980. The scheme provides a guarantee against loss for promoters, even if the numbers attending aren’t enough to cover the cost of staging the event.
Commenting today, Peter Gregory, Head of Night Out , said:
“During the past 40 years this ground-breaking scheme has made a huge difference in terms of supporting the cultural life of Wales’ more rural, remote or deprived communities. The first ever event was in Nantybwch Senior Citizens' Hall in Tredegar, on 13th October 1980 and the first tour was by a company called "SMALL CHANGE THEATRE" who performed "Hope Street" - a play about the Gresford Colliery disaster.
“Since 1980 the scheme has gone from strength to strength and in recent years has supported over 500 performances annually across Wales. Being able to provide entertainment at reasonable cost contributes enormously to villages in all parts of Wales helping them to maintain a strong community.
“While the restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic have put a temporary stop to those shows, we look forward to being able to resurrect the scheme as soon as possible, and to bring high class professional performances to village and community halls in all parts of Wales once more.”
END Tuesday, 13 October 2020