Organisations across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire have come together in a £5 million support programme for creative and digital industries called The Big House.
Half the money has come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, with the rest being supplied by Arts Council England.
The Big House will help companies to start up and grow so that they can take advantage of the creative and digital industries sector which contributes more than £84 billion a year to the UK economy. Support being offered will include grants, one-to-one advice, coaching and networking events.
Derby Theatre’s artistic director and chief executive Sarah Brigham said, “we’re really proud to be part of the consortium behind The Big House initiative.
“Our role will involve delivering a series of professional masterclasses as well as mentoring and peer-to-peer skill exchange workshops for emerging theatre companies so that they can develop an exciting new range of performances. This will build on the success of the In Good Company professional development programme for artists in the East Midlands.”
Other organisations involved in The Big House include Derby art and film centre QUAD and Nottingham’s New Art Exchange.