FOLLOWING the celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the Artrix last weekend, Artrix volunteer and Advertiser reader Nick Taylor reflects on the early days, and the growth of the venue:

 

MY wife, Joy, and I visited Artrix on the first open day in the Spring of 2005 before the building had been finished.

Once we had seen it, we were excited by the potential of the building and decided we wanted to be involved.

Andy Woods, the director, realised from the outset that to be financially viable, Artrix would have to be very reliant on volunteers and so Joy offered to be the "Volunteer Co-Ordinator", and I - together with approximately 20 others - joined as volunteers – 10 of whom are still with us.

The first production, on Saturday, April 23, 2005, was Cosi Fan Tutte , as part of the Bromsgrove Festival. That night we worked on the bar, which comprised two trestle tables and cases of wine, the 300 glasses being washed up by hand.

The first years were very hard. Andy had to deal with the interminable problems of the building itself – I remember one Sunday evening the drains blocking up with a full audience in for a dance school and 100 children backstage, while at the same time establishing a programme.

Insufficient initial funding meant Artrix was very under resourced in terms of sound and lighting equipment for the Auditorium and chairs for the foyer. However, a generous benefactor donated money for the bar to be built and NEW College gave us a secondhand dishwasher and furniture.

Artrix survived these early years through the total commitment of staff and volunteers - all of us believing passionately in the centre and gradually, due to the programme's variety and quality, the popularity of Artrix grew, audiences increased, and it opened seven days a week.

We decided this progress should be celebrated on our fifth birthday in April 2010. We were blessed with a gloriously hot day and we entertained all comers to free shows in the foyer, Auditorium and on the patio.

College students gave dance displays and donned full body make up to portray film characters including AE Housman. It was a memorable day.

The increasing success of the venue meant it could invest in more sophisticated technical equipment, including a digital projection system, which has enabled us to screen live transmissions of plays from the National Theatre. These have proved hugely popular.

The inaugural transmission was beamed through high winds and a snowstorm and two of our intrepid technicians spent the second half on the roof nobly holding the aerial in the correct position to receive the signal.

Throughout the years we have given willingly much of our time as volunteers and Joy remains Volunteer Co-Ordinator. I worked for several years as a duty manager then as the Publicity Officer, and now back as a volunteer.

One evening, a lady came up to me after a show and said: “It’s nice here, isn’t it – I thought it was a just a sports hall with a few folding chairs."

Artrix has established a reputation for always providing a warm welcome to everyone who crosses the threshold, whoever they may be. It is praised constantly for its professionalism and its friendly atmosphere where the staff and volunteers do their best to provide our visitors with an enjoyable experience.

The 10 years have flown by. We have had so many magical experiences and have worked with and met so many good people. We relish constantly the “buzz" that the success of Artrix generates and we are proud of the contribution it makes to the Bromsgrove community. Despite forthcoming cuts in funding from the district council, we are optimistic about the future. Artrix has received tremendous support over the matter and it has become clear how much it is valued by the people of Bromsgrove – our challenge now is to capitalise on that goodwill.

I was recently working on the bar and an audience member said to me “this is the best thing that’s ever happened to Bromsgrove – don’t let it close".

There is no greater reward for the last 10 years than that.