Arts Theatre continues 
to build bridges in Lurgan

Over the course of the year the company produces a musical, junior musical, play, concert, and the annual local pantomime. Building Bridges also offers affordable drama classes for children and teenagers, allowing all members from the community, but particularly those from underprivileged backgrounds, to access the arts.

“Our Musical production of The Sound of Music which was due to take place in the Marketplace Theatre in Armagh at the end of April,” explained Company Founder Simon Hylands. “It has been postponed for a full year, as has our Junior Musical, High School Musical Jr, which would have taken place in Lurgan Town Hall with over 40 children and young people performing.

“We have had to cancel our September productions of our annual musicals concert and our play, and now we have been told that performances this side of Christmas may also not be able to go ahead, which isn’t good news for our pantomime - one of our largest productions for the year - which often keeps us afloat all year long.

“We appreciate that while large scale, professional productions have been cancelled largely due to lack of financial viability as well as safety, there needs to be guidance in place so that amateur and voluntary organisations can make their own decisions. If social distancing can take place in other social venues such as cinemas, restaurants and bars, surely it can take place in a theatre? As an amateur organisation, we do not pay huge amounts for large 1000-seater venues, we do not have employees to pay and contracts to follow through. Most hirers would be understanding if we had to cancel last minute as we have built relationships with local businesses over the years and they know we’ll be back. We can work with a small budget, and a small audience, and as community organisations will be happy to go ahead on a break-even, non-profit basis as the main focus has always been providing safe arts activities for everyone in our community. Working in a theatre or auditorium with a 25%-50% capacity isn’t ideal, but it’s still workable with the right community support and effective budgeting - with or without funding.

“As a hard-working voluntary organisation, we were very fortunate to have been able to secure our own studio which we use for regular rehearsals, drama classes and social and community events as well as storage, planning meetings and training events. Without income from fundraising, ticket sales and drama classes, our studio of which we are so proud, has unfortunately now become a burden and a financial worry.

“Funding has been limited, but we have been very fortunate to have secured enough to keep our heads above water from the Department for Communities Charity Fund. We have been waiting for over seven weeks to hear of a decision from the Arts Council for Northern Ireland regarding an application made in mid-June for the Arts Organisations Emergency Fund.

“The main challenge now is adapting and being able to run programs on a break-even basis. We have taken full advantage of the easement of lockdown restrictions and in the past few weeks alone have run an online fundraiser, a socially distanced sponsored cycathlon and bucket collection, and one member even had an outdoors birthday party where they asked for donations to the group instead of gifts, raising over £500. But these events should not be our main focus, nor are they sustainable.

“We are quite fortunate to have an outdoors space and a member has leant a semi-professional marquee from which we can run a socially distanced, reduced numbers summer scheme and can hopefully recommence drama classes in September. But again, we need to get back to performing. We need support, guidance and an easement in restrictions to be able to continue to allow arts activities to adapt and take place. We need a timeframe. We need a decision.

“Producing videos and live streaming productions on social media is all well and good - but we need to think of effective and safe ways to get thespians onstage performing, and audience members in auditoriums applauding.”