Representatives from venues, agencies, promoters and funders also attended the two-day Dorset Artists festival to enjoy abridged performances, work-in-progress sharings, workshops, and discussion groups.

Elspeth McBain, Lighthouse chief executive said, “We are so glad that we have been able to provide a supportive moment for creatives who have been so badly impacted by the pandemic to meet with each other and feel celebrated for the brilliant work that they make.

“During the Covid crisis, Lighthouse made a quiet promise to provide more support for individual professional artists and companies based in Dorset because the work that they do is exemplary and needs to be seen.”

Having focussed on supporting local artists during the lockdowns, Lighthouse is committed to continuing that support post-Covid restrictions and despite being rescheduled three times due to the pandemic the event was finally delivered in May.

“This was a big step, so we were delighted at the level of support it received from artists and the wider industry,” said Paula Hammond, producer: Artist Development at Lighthouse.

“It can be quite isolating for artists wherever they work, but the distances involved in a large rural county like Dorset make it particularly true, so to be able to bring people together from all aspects of the industry was enormously beneficial and demonstrates a real appetite for more of this.

“We worked closely with artists to find out what they wanted and it’s important Dorset Artists Festival is not an isolated event, which is why we’re now working on follow ups with colleagues from Activate Performing Arts and the Arts Development Company.”

A full day of performances and presentations from Dorset-based theatre makers, musicians, comedians, and circus performers – plus some puppets – was followed by an evening performance of circus eccentric Charlie Bicknell’s Dearly Beloved, and a second day of five-minute pitches, debate and discussion between delegates.

Kate Wood, artistic and executive director of Activate, said: “Theatre and performance relies heavily on people being able to come together in a live space, so the Dorset Artists Festival was an important moment for theatre in the county area. We were delighted to be involved and looking forward to more opportunities to showcase the rich talent that we have in Dorset.”

Dorset Artists Festival was made possible with support from Garfield Weston Foundation.