AN award-winning theatre training course run by a Northumberland company is to be scrapped following loss of government funding.
InterACT, which is run by Northumberland Theatre Company, will no longer be offered after its current session ends next March, as a result of the organisation’s loss of Arts Council England funding.
The arts council encouraged Alnwick based NCT to set up the apprenticeship course nine years ago and provided funding specifically for it.
InterACT has welcomed on average eight apprentices who live or work in the North East each year, with many going on to appear in high profile shows.
The course won a National Training Award in 2009.
However, the arts council announced earlier this year it was to cut all funding to NTC and bosses have now decided InterACT will have to cease, unless other money can be found to keep it going.
Five young professionals will complete the last InterACT course, in March next year. Designer Emma Bayliss and actors Georgina Hall, Nadia Emam, James Laurence and Steven Pilman, will be working for a variety of theatre companies over the next six months before returning to Alnwick for classes and to work on their final production in the Spring next year.
Gillian Hambleton, artistic director of NTC, said: “This year sadly sees the final intake of trainees on to our hugely successful InterACT training scheme following the complete cut in our funding from Arts Council England announced in March this year, which also impacts on us as a company going forward.
“InterACT is a scheme unique to the North East and something we are very proud of.
“Over 88% of trainees from past years are still working successfully in the profession and given the Government’s support of apprenticeship schemes it seems a huge error of judgement that this proven course, which has the support of theatre professionals throughout the country, should have to come to an end.”
Ms Hambleton, however, stressed that NTC is determined to continue.
She added: “We are determined to survive and continue to provide high quality professional touring theatre to rural, village halls and other non-traditional theatre venues providing great art for everyone, not just those living in towns and cities.
“We will also strive to continue our policy of training and supporting talented young professionals.”
