The Helmsley Renaissance (From Gazette & Herald)

The Helmsley Renaissance

STROLLING by the handsome stone buildings of Helmsley's Bridge Street, you could be forgiven for wandering past an attractive, though inconspicuous, archway.

Closer inspection reveals that perched unobtrusively on the arch is a sign bearing the words 'Old Meeting House Court'.

A short scamper through the archway and into the courtyard brings you to a venue that has become a real capital of culture in Ryedale.

This understated entrance to Helmsley Arts Centre suggests that this is not a venue that needs to scream its presence to the world.

Yet this is a place that has celebrated theatre, music, film and art for the last ten years, and where the great actor Timothy West, among others, has trodden the boards. Of course, it has also survived a blaze that destroyed much of the building.

"This is a glorious place," beams David Goodwin. Such a statement is no empty boast from a man who is the arts centre's development manager, as well as being an actor and director.

Sentiments like this are genuinely felt, and not only by those involved in the running of the venue (all but three of whom are volunteers). The people of Helmsley and surrounding areas have shown their support by voting with their feet - audiences are up 30pc since the venue reopened after the fire, meaning many shows are complete sell-outs.

However, to begin at the beginning, the story of Helmsley Arts Centre stretches back much further than ten years. In fact, its history can be traced back to 1812, when Quakers in the town built their own meeting house (the date gives the resident adult and junior theatre companies their names).

The number of Quakers in the town dwindled and the Old Meeting House was rented by the Helmsley Primitive Methodist Society from 1844 until the late 1970s, when it fell into disuse.

In 1984, the Old Meeting House Trust was formed with a view to transforming the derelict building into a venue for the arts.

With the help of grants from Ryedale District Council and Yorkshire Arts, the dream of this group, which included the arts centre's current director, Martin Vander Weyer, became reality on May 2, 1993, when the first-ever performance was held.

Initially, the venue, which was then known simply as the Old Meeting House, had no heating, no hot water and hard Methodist pews for seating.

Over the years, new facilities arrived, including stage lighting and comfortable, raked seating. Thanks to a lottery grant of £275,000, the auditorium was extended in 1996, a studio bar and foyer were added, as well as a control room for cinema and lighting equipment.

However, disaster struck on August 15, 2000. David Goodwin had been at the Old Meeting House that night, but had left at 9pm and headed home.

The following morning, he recalls hearing on the radio that an arts centre in North Yorkshire had been hit by fire. "But they said the wrong name," he remembers. "They certainly didn't say it was Helmsley."

Then he received a telephone call telling him that a fire had broken out at the Old Meeting House at 11.30pm the previous evening.

Initially, David did not believe what he had been told. He drove to the venue and, at first, saw the building through the archway. The damage didn't look too bad. But when he got closer, there was a huge hole in the side of the building. The roof of the Old Meeting House had been completely destroyed, as was almost everything that had been constructed during the 1996 enlargement.

Shaking his head, David recalls: "It was utter shock. The shock was incredible."

He also remembers the amazing actions of the part-time firefighters who had been first on the scene of the blaze. Despite being faced with an inferno, they still managed to remove the art works that were part of an exhibition and saved them from the flames.

Despite the catastrophe, an appeal was launched to raise enough cash to make the repairs and reopen the venue. Generous donations, such as the £2,000 that was received from the town council, meant that the appeal proved an astonishing success. Under the new name of Helmsley Arts Centre (but with the tag-line 'at the Old Meeting House'), the venue's doors were opened to the public once again in April 2001.

The occasion was marked with a gala cabaret. "That night was highly emotional," recalls David. "There were so many tears backstage."

Kirkbymoorside Brass Band played the opening notes to herald the beginning of the concert and the rebirth of the venue. "That sound comes booming out at you," says David. "I wasn't prepared for the emotion of that. The feelings were very strong."

Since its reopening, the support for the arts centre has been phenomenal. "The people of Helmsley have been superb," smiles David. He also praises the many, many volunteers at the arts centre for their incredible efforts over the years, and the Gazette & Herald for the coverage that the venue has received.

David recalls many highlights at the arts centre since its inception. Some of the bigger names to walk the arts centre stage include Timothy West and Nicholas Parsons, who put on one-man shows, while David is hoping to book the much-respected actor Robert Powell for January of next year.

Timothy West particularly endeared himself to the arts centre crew for his complete lack of pretension. "He sat in the bar of the Black Swan afterwards," David smiles. "He was a nice guy, very down to earth."

David also fondly remembers the rather eccentric visit earlier this year of Henry Sandon, the pottery and porcelain expert on the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, who gave a one-man show.

Henry insisted on having his wife with him on stage throughout the evening, and off-stage had a remarkable propensity for getting lost in the bowels of the arts centre.

David chuckles as he remembers hearing Henry's rather effete voice drifting towards him: "David? David? Where am I?"

On the local scene, the 1812 Theatre Company and its junior version have provided plenty of highlights over the years. The former now has about 50 members and the latter 60.

After initially struggling, the senior company now has an excellent following. "The dream of a few years ago has been fantastically supported," says David.

The group's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream brings back fond memories for David, as does its performance of Blake Morrison's The Cracked Pot last year. David himself took the starring role to great critical acclaim, with a reviewer on our sister paper, the Evening Press, describing his performance as the best by an amateur in the county all year.

David will be directing the 1812's production of the William Nicholson play Shadowlands in July, which he describes as "a four-handkerchief weepy". Anyone who has seen the 1993 film version with Anthony Hopkins will doubtless agree.

David is also looking forward to the return of Jaleo Flamenco in June for another helping of sizzling Spanish music and dance.

He adds that David Benson's visit to the arts centre in June with a one-man show about the late comic Kenneth Williams is another unmissable occasion. "It's a wonderful, wonderful show," David says.

For the long-term future, the plan for Helmsley Arts Centre is to break into new areas, notably popular music. The B'Eagles, a tribute band to The Eagles, will return to the venue later this year, as will a Beach Boys tribute act.

Staying unique is another high priority for the future, says David, and providing "decent, professional theatre; names that you could not go into York and see".

Back to the present and the arts centre is busily preparing for its birthday gala cabaret show, which will be performed on Thursday and Friday of this week.

David will be the master of ceremonies for the all-singing, all-dancing show, which is likely to sell out the 132-seat venue once again.

David Goodwin identified the following people as having played particularly important roles in the development of Helmsley Arts Centre over the last ten years: Judy Plummer (Friends' secretary), Paddy Clough, Peter Small, Terry Johnson, Anne Burnell, Anne Jones, Jean Kershaw, Martin Vander Weyer, Sue Elm, George Sigsworth (who was chairman of the trustees for many years and a driving force behind the arts centre dream coming to fruition), Elizabeth Walters, Tom Needham, Chris and Pat Rowe, Glyn Price.

The Helmsley Arts Centre box office number is (01439) 771700 and brochures detailing the venue's offerings for the new season are now available.

Updated: 15:01 Wednesday, May 14, 2003