Taunton Deane District Council has also made the decision to reduce their arts provision to Take Art by 24%, a cut that will also lead to a significant reduction in shows for local people.
Both of these announcements follow hot on the heels of Somerset County Council and Mendip District Council’s incredibly unpopular 2011 budget decisions to cut 100% of their arts funding.
Sarah Peterkin the Director of Take Art Live said, “The knock on effect to rural touring in Somerset due to all the arts cuts has been devastating and last year we were unable to programme any shows in Mendip at all. In fact the whole of the rural touring scheme was cut by over 35% in just 12 months.”
Take Art Live Rural Touring has now been running for 25 years and was one of the first schemes of its kind in the country. Its popularity and courage to programme cutting edge work in theatre, music, dance and children’s shows has meant that every year thousands of Somerset people are given access to high quality arts experiences on their doorstep.
Sarah Peterkin went onto say, "We used to do 15 shows in Taunton Deane and next year we will only be able to do 11, leaving four more villages without the opportunity to benefit from the joys of live entertainment in their village. Unless alternative funding is raised, Sedgemoor will not have any subsided shows at all in 2012/2013.”
Take Art are currently investigating new ways to raise funds for Somerset rural touring and will be doing everything possible to make sure this vital service to Somerset communities isn't lost altogether.
If you would like to support us, offer a donation or join our mailing list please contact Louise Monks or Sarah Peterkin at Take Art. For more information or to request an interview please call 01460 249450.