Theatr Clwyd and Flintshire County Council, today announced that the theatre is moving into an independent trust, after 44 years as a department of the Local Authority. The move comes as part of organisational change at Flintshire County Council and allows Theatr Clwyd to align itself with all other major UK producing theatres and establish itself as a charitable trust with supporting trading subsidiaries.
Theatr Clwyd’s alternative governance model has been a shared objective with Flintshire County Council during the past five years and will come into force from 1 April 2021. The transition will provide the theatre with greater control of funding agreements allowing for better long-term planning, and the ability to create processes and governance structures specific to theatre operations.
For Flintshire County Council, the move reduces the council’s infrastructural burden, whilst allowing them to continue funding the services provided by Theatr Clwyd including the delivery of world-class cultural product, the county’s music service, and wider community wellbeing and resilience work.
Liam Evans-Ford, Theatr Clwyd’s Executive Director, today said: “This is a truly positive announcement following on from 18 months of detailed discussions and negotiations – a change that will enhance our long-standing partnership with Flintshire County Council. This will allow Theatr Clwyd to be more agile and efficient as a business, whilst sharing risk with our Local Authority to ensure we remain a major employer in the area, continue to deliver the highest standard of cultural product, and increase the valuable work within our local communities.”
Colin Everett, CEO of Flintshire County Council, also commented: “This move to a new body will protect the theatre and its future during such uncertain times. The commitment of the Council to continue to fund and support the theatre is absolute. We will stay close to each other and the theatre will continue to provide great community benefit for the local area.”
The award-winning Theatr Clwyd is Wales’ biggest producing theatre. Since 1976, the theatre has created exceptional theatre from its home in Flintshire, North Wales, pushing theatrical boundaries and creating world-class productions. Theatr Clwyd is one of only four theatres in the UK to build sets and props, make costumes and paint scenery in-house – nurturing the skills vital to a vibrant theatre industry. The theatre also hosts an artist development programme, trainee technicians’ scheme and an eighteen-month traineeship for directors, to develop the Artistic Directors of the future. In addition to supporting early career theatre workers, Theatr Clwyd also works extensively with the local community with award-winning Community Engagement projects such as Arts from the Armchair, and Justice In A Day.
This move comes as Theatr Clwyd has completed the public consultation period for a major Capital Redevelopment Project which will reimagine the theatre’s public spaces and create a greener, more efficient and sustainable building.