Owners of a popular theatre in Manchester said they are 'gutted' after the venue was turned down for Arts Council funding to improve access for disabled people. Simon Naylor, creative director of 53two, said that plans to extend its theatre space and put in a ‘Changing Places’ toilet facility, one of only a handful in the city, will be put on hold after the bid for £200,000 was turned down.
He said he is 'angry' at the application process, which he labelled 'inaccessible'. The Arts Council replied that they had received a high number of applications and they had to make some 'tough decisions'.
“We raised £240,000 ourselves, through a crowdfunder, through grants and hard fricking work from the brilliant people of Manchester, and that’s been great, and it allowed us to do the first arch, and the 85-seater venue and café,” Simon said.
