Scary Little Girls reflect on their achievements with Shared Prosperity funding
As they come to the end of their recent funding, the Scary Little Girls team have been reflecting on the opportunities they were afforded and the achievements that were unlocked.
The support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund gave Cornish production companies – including Scary Little Girls – an insight into what can be achieved with regular and long-term funding for the arts.
This funding has given Scary Little Girls some golden opportunities to create and perform with talented artists all over Cornwall.
Back in November 2023, the renowned production hub – based in Cornwall and London- was delighted to announce that they had been awarded support by the UK Government though the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
This funding stream was a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda, which provided a total of £2.6 billion of funding for local investment up to March 2025.
The Fund aimed to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK by investing in communities and places, supporting local business, people and skills.
With the funding Scary Little Girls was awarded through Cornwall Council, they took shows, projects and events to venues and locations across Cornwall - from Bude and Saltash in the north, to Falmouth and Penzance in the south, and including Truro, Liskeard, Bodmin and many more in between. There was also a hop, skip and a jump to St Agnes and St Mary’s on the Isles of Scilly.
Rebecca Mordan, artistic director of Scary Little Girls, said: “We drove a lot of miles, drank a lot of tea and a cocktail or three, and our huge thanks go to the Shared Prosperity Fund for making it possible. We have had an absolute blast with incredible creatives and the 4500+ wonderful people of Cornwall who came to join the fun.”
She added: “Regular, consistent funding is hard to come by in the arts sector at the moment. Seeing the numbers at the end of this funding goes to show what can be achieved when artistic companies are secure in their funding. It’s been a wonderful insight into what is possible for us, and we hope to secure further funding to continue this level of work.”
From performing Duffy Beats The Devil to packed audiences at the majestic Minack Theatre to using Augmented Reality to show off our Karavan of Stories, and taking Pat Pinch to pub quizzes in libraries and community centres, the team took their own brand of Scary Little Magic out on the road.
Facts and figures
In total Scary Little Girls engaged with 4,545 people - far above the 2,600 estimated when applying for the funding
They provided opportunities for 240 artists and creatives, pouring £356,000 into the Cornish arts scene
They took 140 shows, projects and events to 42 venues in 26 locations
The production company also ran events designed for participation. Events with the general public included creative workshops, but importantly for the cultural sector, Scary Little Girls also headed up events with the freelance community within Cornwall.
The production company ran over a dozen events for those producing creative work, including networking days at Hall for Cornwall and arts drop-in sessions.
Working groups were also convened - chaired by Rebecca Mordan, the artistic director of Scary Little Girls – to discuss the value of the cultural sector, envisioning possibilities and discussing the ambitions for Cornish artistic companies at the end of the SPF funding.
Rebecca said, “We explored how we use our collective power in the region to shape the dialogue about the future of the arts here, all while ensuring a collaborative and inclusive approach, allowing us and our teams to creatively flourish.”
Scary Little Girls is a feminist theatre company, started over twenty years ago by artistic director Rebecca Mordan. Set up to provide opportunities for women in the creative arts and challenge sexism, their mission is to tell underrepresented stories and to give a platform to the voices less heard.
They also run the Greenham Women Everywhere project - bringing a hugely important piece of feminist heritage into public access. This National Lottery-funded project saw the team interview over 200 of the women who formed the Greenham Common Peace Camp between 1981 and 2000.
Over the years, Scary Little Girls has carved out a unique space within the national arts agenda. One of the few feminist theatre companies in the UK and at 24 one of the oldest, the production company have provided opportunities for hundreds of women to continue their careers in the creative arts. Scary Little Girls has – in the last 12 months alone – worked with over 100 creative arts freelancers across the UK, with a 98% female freelance workforce.
To discover more about the work of Scary Little Girls, visit: