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Poetry partnership
integral to Arts Centre's future
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A planned programme
of poetry events in partnership with the University's Department
of Cultural studies
is "integral" to the future plans of the Arts Centre
says manager Trevor Lloyd. The plan has already attracted
proposed "like for like" matched funding from North
West Arts of at least £4K.
He describes advance
ticket sales of 200 for the appearance of Carol Ann Duffy
and Gillian Clarke as "incredible for a literary event".
"In the past we've had 10, 12 or 14. For one reading,
not a single person turned up".
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He attributes the success
of this live event to the Dept. of Cultural Studies' marketing effort,
which has drawn in school and sixth form bookings from as far afield
as Newcastle and Leeds.
St Peters church is one
of two University of Central Lancashire arts venues managed by Lloyd.
It has a maximum capacity of 220, less for some theatrical productions
where space is taken up by adaptable staging.
The diverse range of
events hosted by the Arts Centre venues include student and professional
theatre, jazz and blues evenings, classical music, dance and a yearly
programme of local, regional and national art exhibitions. Of these
professional theatre, like the Freehold Theatre Company's recent
'Kafka's Dick' and The Daniel Smith Blues Band evenings are amongst
the best attended.
Student Apathy
But Lloyd admits that
student apathy is taking its toll on audiences. The University's
300 performing arts students appear to prefer travelling to venues
like Manchester's Green Room for professional theatre they could
be seeing for a fraction of the price on campus: "we book exactly
the same companies, doing good theatre".
"The Drama Society
is becoming non-existent" too. Up until about 1996, students
were "as keen as mustard" to take shows to the Edinburgh
Fringe at a cost of about £4,500 raised from various quarters, but
now they "virtually have to be dragged".
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St Peters Arts
Centre and its sister venue, the Grenfell-Baines Auditorium,
are wholly funded by the University, to the tune of £45K a
year. This includes the salaries of the manager, an assistant
and part-time technical staff.
Last year, they
made about £20K through ticket sales and venue hire, which
they are permitted to plough back into facilities and marketing.
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With next year's planned
programme of literary events, including poets of national reputation
like Benjamin Zephaniah, Lloyd sees the Arts Centre as a venue for
all the people of Preston. 7,000 leaflets advertise it throughout
the town. In terms of competition, Preston Guildhall is a commercial
venue with the likes of Robbie Williams tribute bands on the billing
and the Playhouse shows "mostly Amateur Dramatics".
But maintaining a venue
like St Peters doesn't come cheap. The lighting rig has recently
been condemned and Lloyd is waiting on a decision from the University's
Arts Promotion board on funding to replace it.
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