BURNLEY Council is being asked to take a leading role in an £80,000 three-country arts project.

If the scheme gets the go-ahead, youngsters in Burnley will become involved in a Kaleidoscope Cultural Co-operation project with groups from Bulgaria and France.

Members of Burnley's Urban Regeneration Committee are being asked to apply to the programme which encourages artistic and cultural projects while promoting knowledge and understanding of European culture.

Keen to work with Burnley on the project are South West University, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria, and Theatre Transformations, Lyon, France.

The project involves professional development and skills exchange between the three countries, the commissioning of a new piece of work and the performance of the new work by young people from each of the three countries.

Committee members will be told that developing links with France and Bulgaria will greatly enhance the profile of Burnley regionally, nationally and internationally as an innovative arts provider.

The project will involve two arts professionals from each country taking part in week-long development sessions in each country, each host country arranging workshops and seminars. In Burnley, representatives from the Horse and Bamboo Company, Ludus Dance Company, Dukes Theatre, Royal Exchange Theatre and Mid Pennine Arts would be invited to meet the six arts professionals to take part.

They would then get together to create and develop a new piece of work.

Over a week, twelve young people from each of the countries would work in Burnley to rehearse and perform the new work at the Mechanics.

Burnley Youth Theatre and Physico Theatre would provide the local lucky dozen.

With Burnley Council as the lead partner, they would be responsible for all administration costs through the Leisure in Burnley service unit.

Room hire charges associated with the project in Burnley would also be contributed in kind.

If given the go-ahead, the project is subject to a £27,000 Kaleidoscope grant with a shortfall of £14,000 to be met through sponsorship, ticket sales and other grants.

The committee are being recommended to approve the preparation and submission of a bid to the Kaleidoscope Programme.

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