Cornish arts project aims to feature 70,000 people

Thirty Cornwall-based artists have already been recruited to the project

More than 70,000 people are set to take part in a celebration of Cornish culture and history, a community theatre group says.

Dubbed "We are Shining", the 18-month arts event will be led by Wildworks, a landscape theatre company.

Cornwall Council said it had invested £995,000 of government funding in the project.

It is due to culminate in a large-scale event involving communities across Cornwall, Wildworks said.

Emma Hogg, Wildworks chief executive, described the project as creating a "snapshot" of Cornwall.

"We are delighted to have been awarded Shared Prosperity Funding to deliver 'We are Shining'," she added.

"This project will be for Cornwall, about Cornwall, and made with Cornwall."

The project is due to include "imagery, story, song, and immersive experiences, in an expression of "what Cornwall means to its diverse communities".

Nearly £1m of funding has been released for the 18-month project

The company said the celebration would create 20 full-time jobs, while training 100 people in "new skills to produce more outdoor theatre events in the future".

Every state secondary school would have the opportunity to get involved, it added, culminating in a series of pop-up events at schools in the spring and summer of 2024.

The £995,000 investment from Cornwall Council's Good Growth Programme is funded by the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund.

Councillor Louis Gardner, Cornwall Council portfolio holder for economy, said Wildworks were "pioneers" in landscape theatre and a "part of Cornwall's cultural eco-system".

He added: "Whether it's cutting edge immersive experiences or telling the stories of marginalised communities, Wildworks bring together the stories of our people and places."

The company said the celebration would create 20 full-time jobs

Wildworks said the work was inspired by Pytheas, a Greek explorer whose documentation of the British Isles in 320BC included stories of Belerion, "The Shining Land", now known as Cornwall.

It said 30 Cornwall-based artists had already been recruited to the project.

Phil Gibby, area director, Arts Council England South West, added: "We look forward to seeing the positive impacts it will bring."

Wildworks said it was working with the National Trust, Black Voices Cornwall, Cornwall Pride, Shallal and fellow theatre organisations Hall for Cornwall and Theatre Royal Plymouth on the project.

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