Arts venues in Fife handed £230,000 in aid as they stay shut

Arts venues managed by OnFife have been handed a £230,000 lifeline by Creative Scotland.

The cash is part of the Scottish Government’s £12.5 million Performing Arts Venues Relief Fund.

Designed to support performing arts venues that cannot yet reopen because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fund is helping venues with no income to stay afloat, while increasing commissioning and em p l o ym e n t opportunities for freelance artists.

OnFife’s allocation will help sustain Rothes Halls, Carnegie Hall, Adam Smith Theatre and the Lochgelly Centre.

Mi c h e l l e S w e e n e y, O n F i f e’s director of creative development, said: “T he fund will provide much- needed financial support for staff retention as well as allowing us to engage with and maintain our audiences.

“It will also allow us to work with a range of local creatives who have been so badly hit by the impact of Covid.

“Finally, it gives us the opportunity to invest in digital expertise, which will put us in a better position for survival in what will be a highly digitised post-Covid world.”

The funding has already helped OnFife de liver digita l programmes including Black Histor y Month talks.

An online Halloween programme has been put together for adults, with storytelling sessions from paranormal activity investigator Leonard Low and Dunfermline-based storyteller Beverley Bryant and Heather Yule.

The children ’s Halloween programme will include performances from Mexican theatre director Andrea Cabrera and dance artist Hayley Earlam through the OnFife Virtual LibrarYAY Facebook Group.