The Arts Outside Cardiff

I held my first meeting with Culture officials on the day after my appointment, I said to them there are two key things you need to know.
Firstly, I have a huge interest in this Culture brief, and secondly, Labour values will prevail in this ministry. I hope that members will see practical evidence of both these passions in this afternoon’s statement.
The theatre can entertain, it can lift our spirits, at its best it can even challenge the way we think and see the world.  But too few people have the opportunity to engage with this art form. Sometimes exclusion is related to geography, sometimes it comes from a misplaced feeling that the arts is not for me, and sometimes of course, the product is simply not available.  
I recognise that £2 million is not going to solve all these problems, but it will go a long way to help tackle some of the barriers that limited access for too long.
The Assembly Government has previously announced that we will be making £2 million pounds available to invest in the arts outside Cardiff. This complements the investment in performance arts at the Wales Millennium Centre. Today I will be explaining where this money will go and how it will be spent.
In Wales, we have a network of medium-sized theatres. This will soon be strengthened by new developments in Newport, Wrexham and Caernarfon.
Following an invitation from Tamsin Dunwoody-Kneafsey, I visited the Torch Theatre in Milford Haven last month. This is an excellent example of a good local producing theatre in need of help to bring its facilities into the 21st century.
While we have some first rate performance venues in Wales, in fairness, the full picture is not entirely rosy.  Some of our theatres try to present a reasonable face to their customers.  A closer inspection shows that they are rapidly ageing, structurally unsound and offering a limited appeal to the public.
The Arts Council is taking steps to tackle the backlog of repairs to theatres. Making our welsh theatres appealing  to the public and the people who work in them is a priority for the Arts Council.
Most of the new funding will be spent on putting more, high quality product on the stages of our medium-sized theatres - growing the indigenous theatre in Wales, supporting our writers, directors and performers.
The balance of the funding will go to support small scale venues right across our nation.
Micro performance in smaller venues and indeed in non-traditional venues such as community centres will be a key feature. I will expect Communities First areas to feature significantly in this programme.
With realistic ticket prices, the minimum of travel, focussed marketing and a compelling product, I believe we can bring the performing arts to an audience that has previously been excluded.
I propose to channel this money through the Arts Council, as a ring-fenced fund.  Reporting arrangements will be put in place so that everyone can track progress.
In the first financial year, I will make a quarter of a million pounds available, progressively building up to the full £2 million.
Mr Llywydd, our culture is the aggregate of our actions and aspirations, interests and passion, values and beliefs. I am proud to serve in a government that honours the role of culture in modern Wales.