THE TRUSTEES of Bromsgrove’s Artrix Holding Trust said they hoped the venue staging shows for The Core Theatre in Solihull will ‘pave the way’ for a potential new permanent operation there.
Solihull Council has hired the vacant Bromsgrove theatre to move a run of already-scheduled shows there which had to be relocated from their own Core Theatre auditorium after it was closed for RAAC concrete investigations.
Anita Dale, chairman of the holding trust charity which owns Artrix, said: “We were delighted to strike this deal to welcome the Core Theatre to Artrix, which means they can put on their Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk amongst other shows.
“Our hope now is that it won’t just be a great run for the Core Theatre at Artrix during their stay, but that the revitalisation of the place will help pave the way for a new permanent operator in the future.
“Having a quality operator come in like this and bring not only an array of great shows but also a local group in Bromsgrove Community Arts to run their bar and front of house, means that at a stroke Artrix has been spun back up again into a working theatre – albeit temporarily.
“It changes the question from reviving a long-mothballed theatre, to one that’s properly in use and with a re-energised core of local volunteers, who are after all the lifeblood of local community arts.
“Removing some of the obstacles to that revival, including some costs, can only help.
“That work continues, but we hope and believe that this is a very welcome development in the search for a sustainable future for Artrix.”
Getting Artrix back up-and-running
This week, BCA members, posted these pictures showing Artrix being restored to its former glory. Council staff have helped rebuld the stage and hard-working volunteers have been returning the foyer, auditorium, bar and more to how it used to be.
We reported last week how, after an appeal by the BCA, more than 200 volunteers came forward to offer their services to carry out front-of-house duties and work behind the bar.
Artrix’s trustees began searching for a new operator for the venue after it became vacant with the loss of its former operator just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020. Since then, it has served briefly as an NHS mass vaccination centre and had a green energy retrofit to reduce its energy use, before being hired by Solihull Council for a run of Core Theatre shows.
For links to ticket and volunteering information during the Core Theatre’s time at Artrix, or to contact the trust about Artrix, visit www.artrixbromsgrove.co.uk
