Local opera company saved after Arts Council pulled support

A touring opera and theatre company, based in Powys, was saved from making its final curtain call by an arts transition and resilience grant from the county council.

Mid Wales Opera (MWO) was one of 10 organisations that benefitted from awards administered by Powys County Council’s Arts and Culture Service in 2024, after it secured backing from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

It received nearly £76,000 to draft a new business plan and find new sources of funding after its Arts Council of Wales support – around 60% of its income – was cut. MWO has now secured two-years’ worth of funding from the Colwinston Charitable Trust.

The Newtown and Caersws-based company has also received support from some of its patrons and is hoping to secure more backing, worth £25,000 per year, to keep it touring in the future.

The other organisations that were supported by the council as part of the £675,000 project, funded by the UK Government’s SPF, in the last nine months were: 

• CARAD (Community Arts Rhayader and District): https://carad.org.uk/
• Gregynog Hall: https://gregynog.org/
• Impelo: https://www.impelo.org.uk/
• Mid Wales Arts Centre: https://midwalesarts.org/home/?lang=En
• Peak Cymru: https://www.peakcymru.org/
• Presteigne Festival: https://presteignefestival.com/
• The Lost ARC: https://thelostarc.co.uk/
• The Welfare Ystradgynlais: https://thewelfare.co.uk/
• Wyeside Arts Centre: https://www.wyeside.co.uk/

“The arts grant we received from the council has been absolutely transformational,” said Richard Studer, MWO’s Artistic Director. “After losing our Arts Council of Wales funding, we thought our tour in the autumn with Pagliacci would be our last and that we would be winding the company down.

“It’s been a lifeline for us. It’s enabled us to restructure our business model, re-write our business plans and really secure our future, looking ahead, with some breathing space, to give Mid Wales Opera a life.

“We can now look forward to a future performing live theatre and opera across Wales!”

Councillor Richard Church, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a Safer Powys added: “It’s fantastic that we have been able to help these 10 arts organisations in Powys to become more sustainable and in the case of Mid Wales Opera, saved it from going out of business.

“The sector provides work for many people and also has a role to play in supporting the wellbeing of our residents and in making Powys a more attractive place to live.”

The £675,000 was awarded to the Arts and Culture Service by the Powys Shared Prosperity Fund Local Partnership Board, which is supported by the council’s Economy and Climate Service.

PICTURE: A scene from Mid Wales Opera’s touring production of Pagliacci in the autumn of 2024, which it thought was going to be its last. Picture: Matthew Williams-Ellis/Mid Wales Opera.