Newhampton Arts Centre. One of the most vibrant arts centres with a host of events. We look at current work done to maintain the facility and plans for the future.
We meet Chief Exec at the Newhampton Arts Centre and look at how they have spent a £1.5 million cash boost and learn about how they want to raise £3.5 million and where that would go.
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00:00So we're here in Newhampton Arts Centre, and you are Chief Exec?
00:04I am, yes.
00:05What's your name, sir?
00:06Trevelyan Wright.
00:07Fantastic building, I mean it's just in the big Grand Hall here, which I've seen a couple of times through work,
00:13but a lot of people in Wolverhampton probably haven't seen it, have they, in the pure glory of the place?
00:17No, I think clearly if you went to Valley Park School or before it, the Muni, it was a huge part of your life as a secondary school pupil,
00:26but since it's been an Arts Centre for the last 25 years, I think I understand if people go,
00:33I never knew you were here, I never knew there was something on this site, because the front of the building is the bit that looks shut.
00:41You know, everything happens out of sight, and the main entrance is down the side of Dunkley Street.
00:48So what we want to do is reopen the historic main entrance to the school on Newhampton Road,
00:55and say to everyone, we are open, there's classes, there's courses, there's concerts, there's theatre shows,
01:04you can get a tattoo even on site, so you know, come on in and find out what's going on.
01:10We've just had the Beer Fest here last weekend, they were saying it was the most successful one they've had so far, wasn't it?
01:16Yeah, it was a beautiful day, so obviously, a beautiful weekend, so the fact that we had our tent up in the courtyard,
01:24you had somewhere lovely outside to sit and drink your one of 80 real ales that they had on,
01:30and yeah, by Saturday evening they'd actually run out of beer, they shut early.
01:36So we know it's a gorgeous building, we now know there's tons of great stuff going on that people can get involved in if they open their eyes to it,
01:45but these are buildings that can cost a few quid, so there's been £1.5 million spent on it already, what have you spent that on?
01:53So we've spent that on the most urgent thing, and if you've been here over the winter you'll know how urgent,
01:59was heating for half the building that we're in, we've had two very cold winters,
02:06and thanks to the Towns Fund we've been able to invest in a brand new boiler system and heating controls
02:13to keep everybody warm and toasty this winter, so that's one thing we've spent it on.
02:18Anybody who's been to a gig will know that our toilets can leave a bit to be desired,
02:24so we're spending money on refurbishing the theatre block toilets.
02:29We're doing other little bits and pieces, but the big thing for us is that our two owners,
02:38the Council and the College have got together and they've sorted out the legal ownership of the site,
02:45we're going to be here for a long period of time, and that means that we can go to funders and say,
02:51can you help us out to fix the roof, to refurbish this beautiful space we're in, the gallery hall,
02:58to reopen the front entrance, and ultimately to build an even better theatre.
03:06You look at this building, you look in this grand hall, it's gorgeous,
03:11but the closer you look you see a bit of flashing that's coming off at the roof,
03:15you can see paint peeling where damp's come in, the windows, as well as being kind of old and rotten in parts,
03:23they also aren't exactly the best for insulation, so we're hoping £3.5 million, isn't it,
03:30to bring this really to get everything done that's needed, is that right?
03:34That's phase one, it's a big site, it's an entire Edwardian secondary school,
03:40so phase one is fixing the roof above us, here we are now, refurbishing this gallery hall,
03:47reopening the historic main entrance, and then phase two will be a new theatre and a new café space,
03:58and then we've got plans, perhaps even when I'm gone, for phase three,
04:04which would be a new studio theatre, particularly for youth and community groups,
04:10but over the next decade we've got to redevelop and refurbish the site,
04:16it's served Wolverhampton brilliantly for the last 30 years, but it's showing its age,
04:21it needs this investment, and then we'll be ready to be Wolverhampton's Arts Centre for the next 30 years.
04:28I do feel that the stuff that goes on here is so amazing,
04:33but I don't think the people of Wolverhampton really know about it enough, would you agree with that?
04:39I think, however big you are, there'll always be someone who will say,
04:45I never knew you did this stuff, I think that the halls probably come across people who go,
04:50are you reopened yet? But I don't think it helps us the fact that the Newhampton Road frontage,
04:58which is beautiful, appears shut, so if we can say to people, whether on the bus or in the car,
05:06going into the city centre, ooh, what's on there, that looks nice, that looks welcoming, that looks open,
05:12I'll go and find out a bit more next time I'm walking past. I think that will help hugely.
05:18So you have a lot of jazz at the Newhampton Arts Centre here, and we're in this lovely little cafe space,
05:25but kind of a bit of a new adventure, Sunday afternoon jazz?
05:28That's right, so we open the cafe and put the tables out and we get new and emerging artists,
05:34people who may be in the theatre, aren't quite ready to pull 100 people,
05:39but 40 people in the cafe, it's a lovely, informal, like a jazz club should be.
05:47And is that once a month, once a fortnight?
05:50It's about once a month in the autumn, so have a look, there's three or four gigs coming up,
05:56and we've just done a spring season that went really, really well, that's the first time we've done it,
06:02so yeah, we're really, really happy with it as yet another space that we can put people in to enjoy things.
06:13Mark, how you doing, chap?
06:14I'm very well, thank you.
06:15Good man, are you a caretaker, is that your role?
06:17I am, I'm site management and repair.
06:20Fantastic, and this all looks very nice and new and shiny,
06:23is this where some of the money that's currently been raised already has been spent then?
06:27Absolutely, it's our new eating system.
06:32We'll be delighted to warm the place up in the winter.
06:37Fantastic, is it doing what you wanted it to do?
06:39It's absolutely doing what we wanted it to do, and more.
06:41It's working at a much higher pressure and it's far more efficient as well, which is fantastic.
06:46So I guess the old system, was it kind of very tired, I'm guessing, but also it cost him a lot more to run?
06:52Yeah, eventually, we were on one boiler for a while,
06:57and it was a bit like an old Morris Minor with the doors hanging off.
07:01So you're loving this new little baby then?
07:03It's fantastic, it'll do what I want it to when I want it to.
07:06Good stuff.