SUMMER is traditionally the time when theatres are ‘dark’, meaning that there are no shows on stage, as audiences head on holiday. For community theatres, this break provides an opportunity to catch up on maintenance work and improve the décor. The pace of theatrical life in summer is usually more relaxed. But not so at Bingley Little Theatre where, for the first time in its history, a professional Theatre Manager has been appointed.
Bingley Little Theatre has, for the last 12 years, successfully run the Bingley Arts Centre complex. This not only involves staging our annual programme of 10 productions, but also programming a huge number of incoming events, running a box office, ensuring ongoing building maintenance, front-of-house management and a busy office. The place is a thriving, corporate concern. People are amazed when they learn that this done entirely by volunteers! The success of the arts centre is a credit to each and every volunteer.
All teams need a great leader. For the last four years this role has been taken by Ian Smithson, himself a hard-working volunteer, who has decided it’s time to hang up his boots. The Board has decided the time is right to appoint a professional Theatre Manager to lead us through the next chapter of our development, building on Ian’s superb work. We set up a recruitment campaign and the successful candidate was selected from a shortlist of over 20.
Enter...centre stage...Sarah Hayton, who comes to us with great experience in theatre, radio, TV, and film. She has been involved in theatre for over 40 years and ran her own businesses in admin and wellbeing. Sarah said: “What has been achieved here for nearly 75 seasons is impressive: it’s a fantastic community resource. I’m keen to build on this success creatively, attract more volunteers, raise our profile and help develop a sustainable business model for the future. Having met so many enthusiastic volunteers, I’m confident this is achievable.”
Another development is the introduction of a signed performance at every BLT production in the 2022/23 season. Katrina McEachran will sign the Tuesday evening performance of every play on the main stage throughout the season. Audience members wishing to book for a good view of the signer are requested to alert the box office. Katrina has previous experience signing in theatre and attends rehearsals, so she’s familiar with the lines.
Several audience members have said they’d benefit from a signed performance. We want to make sure everyone is welcome at BLT and can enjoy our range of productions. We welcome Katrina - this is another step forward in our work to make sure the appeal of BLT productions stretches across every community group.
l God of Carnage runs at Bingley Arts Centre until Saturday. Call (01274) 567983 or visit bingleylittletheatre.co.uk
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