Dalston’s Arcola Theatre will receive more than £1.2 million as part of the Arts Council National Portfolio.

The theatre, which relies heavily on donations and sponsorship, will be boosted by an extra £300,000 every year for the next four years.

Arcola has helped launch the careers of actors and directors such as Linda Bassett and Max Stafford-Clark, and last year was nominated for 9 Off West End awards. Artistic director Mehmet Ergen said the funding would create “life-changing opportunities for hundreds of artists and thousands of local participants”.

The National Portfolio said the funding would “create art and culture experiences for everyone, everywhere”.

Arcola’s executive director Ben Todd said: “In times of Brexit, internationalism is vital. We will use our funding to produce art for and by a wide range of voices, not just to make British theatre more representative, but more interesting and impactful.”