Funding propels theatre co further into arena

Funding propels theatre co further into arena One of Australia’s longest-running professional theatre companies for young audiences, McCrae Street’s Arena Theatre Company, has secured a grand sum of $75,000 in funding from the federal government. This includes a $30,000 grant from the Regional Arts Fund for Country and Belonging: On Country – an immersive exhibition, co-created with Dja Dja Wurrung cultural enterprise Dumawul. The exhibition brings to life three years of First Nations-led artist residencies in primary schools across Greater Bendigo. Arena also received a $45,000 Festivals Australia grant for the second edition of its Creativerse Festival. Last year’s inaugural festival attracted over 1200 young creators, families and educators to Ulumbarra Theatre for a day of creativity and performance. Highlights included Finnegan the Fart Detective, a sold-out, comedic live radio play complete with old-school sound effects, music and multi-sensory surprises, and Polite Mammals, a 90s-style kids’ TV variety show featuring puppetry, singing bin chickens, dancing praying mantises and comedy. “Investments like these ensure regional communities have access to the same calibre of arts experience as their metropolitan counterparts and back organisations like Arena as they build lasting cultural infrastructure in regional Victoria,” said Arena CEO Debra Allanson. Bendigo MP Lisa Chesters said she was proud to see Arena successful in not one, but two federal grant streams. “It speaks to their reputation of creating hands-on and immersive experiences for young people to engage with the arts,” she said. “For some young people, projects like this will be one of their first experiences with engaging with the arts, and that’s really powerful.” The 2026 Creativerse Festival is scheduled for Saturday 3 October.