Freedom Studios in Bradford Will Close its Doors

Freedom Studios, located in Bradford, UK, has announced that it will close its doors. A statement posted to the company's website from the board of trustees cites financial reasons for the closing.

According to the statement, in 2023, the charity lost its place on the Arts Council England National Portfolio, and managed to raise new funds to continue to successfully deliver its programmes. However, Freedom Studios struggled to secure new funding.

The company is set to close at the end of this current financial year.

Read the full statement below:

With great sadness, the board of trustees announces the closure of Freedom Studios.

Freedom Studios was established in 2007 as a new writing theatre company based in Bradford and became known for celebrating the voices of South Asian and ethnically diverse people, young people and working class communities. 

In 2023, the charity lost its place on the Arts Council England National Portfolio, negatively impacting its finances. Despite this challenge, the charity managed to raise new funds to continue to successfully deliver impactful programmes including Bradford Voices. However, Freedom Studios struggled to secure new funding in this precarious climate, threatening its solvency. The trustees have taken the extremely difficult decision to begin winding down the charity in an orderly fashion. It is anticipated this work will continue until the end of the current financial year. 

Our original mission to pioneer the voice of our communities through plays, new writing and co-creation remains as important as ever. We leave a hole in the sector which sadly lacks new writing and talent development opportunities, and hope there is the opportunity for others to take up this space in our stead. 

We would like to thank each of our creatives, participants, staff and funders for being part of the Freedom Studios story over the years.