STOCKTON Arc is among a clutch of arts venues in the North-East which will benefit from major Arts Council funding designed to bring the best contemporary theatre to the region.

The Reach project, funded by £862,430 from Arts Council England’s strategic touring programme, will see nine venues stage more than 150 performances.

The Arc has entered into a three-year partnership with Stockton Arts Centre and Dep Arts, a company in Leeds which produces theatre and dance.

Other venues include Saltburn Arts Theatre, Bishop Auckland Town Hall and Queen’s Hall Arts Centre at Hexham.

The venture aims to attract new audiences to contemporary theatre.

Statistics for Arts Council funded touring activity from 2008-9 and 2010-11 reveal the North- East received only 4,700 shows in three years – significantly lower than most other English regions – and only 35 per cent of the performances were in places other than Middlesbrough, Gateshead and Newcastle.

The project is planned to begin in the autumn and involves such respected performance companies as Unlimited Theatre, The Paper Birds, Kirsty Housley, Stan’s Cafe, Analogue and Third Angel, alongside new commissions from Tangled Feet, Chris Thorpe and Hannah Jane Walker and Theatre Alibi.

The companies will benefit from the chance to build relationships with previously unvisited communities and meet new audiences.

The other venues are Alnwick Playhouse, Washington Arts Centre, the Customs House at South Shields, Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre and Seaton Delaval Arts Centre.

Annabel Turpin, chief executive at Arc, said: “There has been an imbalance in the provision of contemporary theatre in the area, with North-East communities missing out on the kind of inspirational work that those in metropolitan areas enjoy.

“We’ve always felt passionately about addressing this inequality and will now be able to deliver high quality work. It’s a very exciting time for the region and we’re delighted the Arts Council has decided to invest in this vibrant area.”

David Edmunds, director and executive producer of Dep Arts said: “I am delighted that Arc and Dep Arts have been awarded funding through our strategic touring programme.

“Audiences and visitors to the North-East will be able to enjoy more contemporary theatre, as well as the chance to try something new and see great work on their doorstep. The project will also strengthen the touring infrastructure, thereby benefiting audiences in the long-term.”

Arc has recently become more pro-active in developing new work, presenting three shows last year at Edinburgh Festival one of which, How To Occupy an Oil Rig, by Daniel Bye, is currently touring the UK.