Dorchester Arts

General information

For the past 30 years, Dorchester Arts has engaged tens of thousands of people in a wide variety of arts events including top quality music and comedy acts, theatre, dance as well as talks and workshops for the whole community to enjoy.
Dorchester Arts is supported by West Dorset District Council, Dorchester Town Council and our individual donors and corporate sponsors. We are a membership organisation, a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee.

Our staff consists of an Artistic Director, an Administrator, a Finance Officer, a Marketing Officer, a Participation Officer, a Fundraising & Development Officer and a Marketing & Participation Assistant. Governance is led by a Board with up to 12 members and we receive a huge amount of support from a dedicated band of volunteers.

Our home is in the Dorchester Corn Exchange, where we have a performance space accommodating up to a maximum audience capacity of 300 and we have a fully licensed bar for all events.

We also programme performances in a variety of venues across Dorchester, including the Dorchester Shire Hall and Maumbury Rings, and work with a wide range of community groups, delivering arts activities for all ages.

Every two years we bring the Dorchester Festival to town – the next one will be in 2016.