Warnings of 'strong competition' for new £600k fund ...

A new performing arts fund has been unveiled by Arts Council Wales following feedback from sector calling for a more targeted and responsive approach to arts investment – but only a handful of applicants will be successful. Arts Council of Wales (ACW) has unveiled a new £600,000 annual fund designed to support “exceptional” live theatre, dance and musical theatre productions showcasing “the very best of Welsh and Wales-based talent”. [...] Opening for applications this November from Welsh-based organisations only, the Major Productions fund will offer awards between £100,000 and £300,000, meaning the number of successful applicants will range from two to a maximum of six. ACW has stressed the scheme will be “highly competitive”, warning “we will not be able to fund a large number of applications through this fund”. [...] “This fund has been shaped by listening to the sector and responding to what organisations told us they need. It was also one of the recommendations in the review we commissioned into English language theatre in Wales,” said Dafydd Rhys, chief executive of ACW. “Major Productions reflects part of our vision for the arts in Wales, as a place where the most ambitious and exciting work is created and shared.