Cotesbach Educational Trust have received Grants for the arts funding from Arts Council England, to complete their new project ‘Re-write the Archive’.
Cotesbach Educational Trust, based on the Cotesbach Estate just outside of Lutterworth in South Leicestershire, houses three heritage buildings and 400 years worth of family and local community archives. It is rare to have so many relevant archives in situ and has been described by National Archives as being of “considerable historic importance”.
About ‘Re-write the Archive’
Now thanks to an Arts Council grant of £13,242 made possible through the lottery funded Grants for the Arts scheme the archives and artefacts on this stunning estate are going to be brought to life by five professional playwrights.
Over a weekend in Spring 2015 playwrights will delve into archives and each produce a short audio drama based on their discoveries. The plays will be recorded by a professional acting ensemble and displayed on a specially created microsite alongside digital copies of the archive material that inspired them.
Katherine Brown, Project Director at the Cotesbach Educational Trust said: “This is the first time the Trust has received support from the Arts Council and we are absolutely delighted to be able to work with talented artists to help bring our fascinating archive to life”
She went on to say “as well as the plays being available on our website we hope that existing and new audiences will visit our historic estate and hear the work at a number of planned vintage inspired tea parties consisting of a talk about the project and plays aired over a retro radio.”
In addition to this Arts Council awarded project – ‘Re-writing the Archive’, the Cotesbach Educational Trust also run a yearly programme of workshops and special events around the themes of Heritage, Environment and the Arts. For each of these areas over the next year the Trust will be commemorating the lives of Fred and Digby Marriott who were both killed in action in 1915, focussing on a year in the life of the Cotesbach Estate and organising a pop up wool week.
Find out more
For more information about the Trust’s programme of work and the progress of the playwrights project ‘Re-writing the Archives’ visit the Cotesbach website.
Telephone 01455 558 373 or email hello@cotesbachschoolhouse.org.uk
