Memories of an Unforgettable Community & Arts Festival
LtoR Pauline Armour, Dep.Mayor Councillor Dr. Sunil Gupta and Colleen Batson at the Grand Opening
Looking back
A week after BLT’s first Community & Arts Festival came to an end, I still find myself replaying moments from it in my mind. Looking through photographs for future marketing brought everything back: the buzz of the building, the faces in the audience, and the powerful feeling of watching people perform on our stage who might not otherwise have had that chance.
More than anything, what I felt was joy. Joy in seeing participants discover the thrill of performing. Joy in watching people connect with one another. Joy in seeing audiences encounter new knowledge, new experiences and, in some cases, the theatre itself for the very first time.
Learning through performance
For some participants, this was their first experience of being on the performing side of a stage. The Festival became a learning experience as well as a celebration, showing how a theatre works and what it takes to run an event in that setting. If you are used to putting on events in a hall, hearing “That isn’t quite how we do it here — let us show you” can be an eye-opening moment for everyone involved.
Above: Bromley Unplugged
Volunteers behind the Festival
Another real delight was seeing the expertise, generosity and patience of our volunteers in action. Simon and Debbie deserve special thanks for going above and beyond, but the truth is that we could not have run the Festival without all the volunteers who gave their time, energy and skills.
So much happened behind the scenes: marketing, ticketing, website updates, internal and external communications, and the planning that began back in December. Events like this may appear to last a few days, but they are built over many months by many hands.
One person who deserves a special mention is Tricia, who has been a stalwart supporter throughout and contributed enormously to the planning and communications. This really was a team effort.
Opening the theatre to the community
The main aim of the Festival was simple: to open the theatre to the wider community. We wanted to showcase local organisations, welcome new voices into the building, and make the space available in a way that reflected the diversity of the Borough.
It was a pleasure to welcome new and future collaborators, including organisations visiting the theatre for the first time: Black Heroes Foundation, Bromley & District Floral Society, local musicians, and a Tamil community group closely associated with Vidhainel, a charity in the Bromley area. We were also grateful for the contributions of familiar friends, including Quest Soul Theatre and CASPA.
CASPA performers
What people said
Some of my favourite memories are captured in the comments I overheard during the Festival. I am paraphrasing, but they give a real flavour of the week:
“Did you know this is all run by volunteers?”
“It was great to get the opportunity to appear on a ‘proper’ stage…”
“That was interesting…”
“What a lovely setting…it was perfect”
“These are not normal BLT shows…”
“Your volunteers were so helpful…”
“Oh God! Is that the right DVD? File?”
“Never been here before, I’m coming back…”
A successful first Festival
Taken together, those comments say a lot. They capture happiness, surprise, satisfaction, occasional panic and, by the end of the week, a fair amount of tiredness too.
All’s well that ends well. We got through it, and although not everything was perfect — nothing ever is — the overall response was that the Festival was a success. That is not just my view; it is what people told me.
Final thoughts
Perhaps the biggest lesson is that we do not know what we can achieve until we try. As this was our first Community & Arts Festival, there was naturally some trepidation. Had we taken on too much? Would we have enough volunteers? Did the programme truly reflect Bromley? How much would it cost the theatre?
In the end, we had enough of everything. We hope the costs have been more than covered through bar takings and donations, and we were especially pleased that we did not need to charge our participants. Hosting our community partners was a pleasure, and many contributed in their own ways, from providing front-of-house support and refreshments to helping with technical needs.
In short, it all worked remarkably well — and it reminded us what can happen when a theatre opens its doors and a community steps through them.
Looking ahead
Will we do it again? I sincerely hope so.
Colleen Batson, Festival Organiser