WHERE ON THE HILL

by Jez Bond

For two years we’ve been working away, struggling against the odds to deliver a theatre of exceptional quality within an incredibly tight budget. We’ve had our highs and low and the only constant has been the need to work hard, long hours without respite.

As the building work is gently picking up on site and things are starting to move up a gear, I ponder the words of those who say that things are now going to get easier.

But I’m not sure that things will calm down, that we’re reaching the top of the metaphorical hill. So far each week of the journey has brought with it its own set of problems, and whilst we mark important milestones – like planning and licensing – it’s impossible to gauge where exactly on the hill we’ve been at any given time.

Now the fact is that when the building work ends one huge stage of the journey is complete. But running a theatre building, presenting work, operating an all day cafe bar and sustaining it all through tight budgets and (initially) no arts council funding is no easy task. A new set of problems and challenges will arise.

So perhaps we’ll never reach the top of the hill. Maybe like Sisyphus our task is eternal. But I imagine that’s part of the attraction – nothing’s ever quite finished and we’re constantly striving to create. That’s what theatre is all about.

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