This article was published in 2024.

We are delighted to share the news that Dorset Council has awarded the Marine Theatre a grant to support our creative work for the next three years. Dorset County Council’s Organisational Support Revenue Fund is available to cultural organisations based in Dorset. This funding will help to support the many creative projects we offer at the Marine. In particular, the Marine Youth Theatre which welcomes over 80 local children and young people, aged from 3yrs – 18yrs, to the theatre every week. It will also help to support our Senior Creatives programme which offers monthly singing and dancing for older people.

We are actively looking to widen access to young people from diverse backgrounds in our creative engagement opportunities. We will do this by investing in our ambition to encourage more participation in the Marine Youth Theatre and technical skills training sessions. As well as providing cultural activities for our Lyme Regis community, this funding will enable the Marine to lead creative programmes further across Dorset. We have already started to reach out to areas where there is little access to culture. This financial security now allows planning to start on a series of out-reach projects to bring communities together and promote social well-being for some of the most vulnerable members of our Dorset communities. 

Gabrielle Rabbitts, Director of the Marine Theatre said that ‘this funding really will make a positive difference to the quality of life of so many people and I would like to express heartfelt thanks to Dorset Council for the support of our work. The Marine has created many ways to welcome people of all ages to join in with creative activities and build their own theatre community. I am very much looking forward to seeing our community grow with an increased range of events at the Marine as well as helping other areas, especially children and young people, to enjoy the benefits of building their own theatre communities’