A Hull centre for performing arts that provides classes for around 650 students each week has received a grant to transform one of its studio spaces.
Northern Academy of Performing Arts – NAPA – was one of 21 theatres to receive a share of £100k from the Theatres Trust. The trust, which is the national advisory and advocacy body for theatres, revealed the latest recipients to benefit from its Small Grants Programme with The Linbury Trust.
NAPA was awarded £5,000 towards a project that will transform the largest and most accessible internal room in the theatre, the Backstage Studio, into a flexible welcoming space. This includes restoring the original wooden sliding doors so multiple uses can take place at the same time, making the walls and ceiling watertight, and installing new blackout blinds to make the space more comfortable for year-round use.
Based in the Grade II-listed 1904 Hull School of Art, NAPA provides a wide range of dance, acting and musical theatre classes. It has embarked on a “Big Build” project to undertake “desperately needed” restoration.
In a post about the awarding of the grant, NAPA offered a “huge thank you” to the Theatres Trust for sponsoring renovations of its Backstage Studio. Carl Wheatley, CEO of NAPA, said: “This funding from the Theatres Trust will enable us to create a vibrant space within our heritage building to transform the lives of even more people in Hull and the surrounding areas through our performing arts activities.”
Joshua McTaggart is CEO of the Theatres Trust. He said: “Theatres Trust is delighted to be able to support NAPA with a project that demonstrates how theatres are finding ways to host a broader range of performances and activities, and welcome more people into their buildings.”
The Small Grants Programme funds not-for-profit theatres to deliver small projects that make a big difference to their resilience, sustainability, and accessibility, or to increase the diversity of their audiences. The next round is open for applications with a deadline of Friday, June 6, 2025.
To find out how you can support the renovation of NAPA’s historic building, through its Big Build campaign, please visit northernacademy.org.uk/the-big-build/
Get breaking news in Hull straight to your phone
