Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield: How Dame Judi Dench and Sir Patrick Stewart helped launch a Yorkshire theatre

In the early 1990s, a group of passionate local people banded together to raise £5m to found a playhouse in Huddersfield. Now the Lawrence Batley Theatre is celebrating 30 years. Catherine Scott reports.

The creation of Lawrence Batley Theatre, in Huddersfield, started in 1992 and two of Yorkshire’s finest actors were involved in the project.

It was named after the Huddersfield philanthropist and entrepreneur Lawrence Batley, who sponsored the theatre for the first 10 years.

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Dame Judi Dench laid the foundation stone in October 1993 and Sir Patrick Stewart officially opened the theatre on September 11, 1994 to complete the historic building’s return to the limelight.

Dame Judi Dench at the laying of the foundation stoneDame Judi Dench at the laying of the foundation stone
Dame Judi Dench at the laying of the foundation stone

“There’s a massive history of amateur operatics in Huddersfield and so when the original theatre closed down, people felt it wasn’t acceptable and a group of local people banded together to raise £5m to convert the derelict building which had been all sorts of things including a chapel, squash club and even a restaurant. It’s a listed building and so had been left to rot,” says chief executive Becky Dash.

This month the theatre is celebrating its 30th anniversary and it is marking the milestone with a season of exhibitions, shows, and fundraising events to help reach its £30,000 target to support its creative work.

The only professional theatre in Kirklees, the Lawrence Batley is the creative heart of Huddersfield.

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A 200-year-old building that was once a church, at the time of its original construction in 1819 it was the largest Methodist chapel in the world.

Sir Patrick Stewart pictured with Councillor Harold Sheld to officially open the Lawrence Batley TheatreSir Patrick Stewart pictured with Councillor Harold Sheld to officially open the Lawrence Batley Theatre
Sir Patrick Stewart pictured with Councillor Harold Sheld to officially open the Lawrence Batley Theatre

The theatre is a mid-scale receiving house that has managed to weather all the economic storms over the last three decades. In 2016 it began producing pantomimes with a commitment to employing professional actors from the surrounding community so that local audiences can see and hear themselves reflected on the stage.

During the Covid pandemic in 2020, the theatre innovated to become an online producer in partnership with other regional theatres, producing shows featuring Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley and Russell Tovey.

“Thirty years ago a group of passionate local people banded together to fundraise £5m to transform a derelict building into Lawrence Batley Theatre because they felt it was essential that the town had a world-class theatre. In 2024 we know that this is true now more than ever,” says Dash.

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“As the only professional theatre in Kirklees, we have a duty to welcome, entertain and inspire our community.

Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield.Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield.
Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield.

“Over 70,000 people come through our doors each year, as we bring the shows to our town that people deserve to see on their doorstep, and we are honoured to celebrate the wealth of local talent on our stages.

“We are incredibly proud of our heritage and are very excited to be hosting several events to mark our 30 wonderful years.”

Celebrations include a unique photography exhibition called Theatre30.

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Yorkshire’s answer to ‘Humans of New York’, Theatre30 features thirty portraits of people who all have a significant connection to the theatre from the past thirty years, captured by local photographer Daniel Johnson Gray. "It's been such a lovely project to work on," says Becky. “We photographed People who have been involved in the theatre over the last thirty years in different parts of the building and got them to tell their stories.”

The exhibition celebrates the people of the theatre's history, sharing their stories and memories, and will showcase why the theatre holds a special place in their hearts. One such person is Gary Clarke, the son of a miner who grew up in Barnsley, a professional choreographer, and now leading his own contemporary dance company Gary Clarke Company. His first experience of contemporary dance was at Lawrence Batley Theatre, which sparked his passion for it and led to his very successful career.

"Then there is the original architect, Rodney Atkinson, who is now well into his nineties. He was a council architect working on lots of not very exciting council project when he was approached in the eighties to design the theatre. He came with his team and transformed this building into the theatre it is today.”

The Theatre30 exhibition runs until 18 January 2025 and has been curated by Keisha Hamilton, Creative Associate at Lawrence Batley Theatre.

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Celebrations also include the annual community production, where more than 60 people, aged six to well into their seventies, from across Huddersfield will take to the stage in a modern adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's ‘The Great Gatsby’, adapted by local writer Chris O'Connor. "For our thirtieth celebrations we wanted the community production to be our centrepiece,” says Becky. “It is the story of the Great Gatsby but set in modern day Huddersfield. It’s a community production but with full production values –its a massive production for us. It felt fitting that that was the centrepiece of the celebrations.”

While Lawrence Batley Theatre does receive some Arts Council and Kirklees District Council funding, the majority of the money needed for its up keep has to be raised.

"I think that some people don’t realise that we are a charity,” says Becky. “Our priority is to keep our ticket prices down to ensure that our theatre remains accessible to everyone in Huddersfield which means we have to find other sources of income.” As well as staging productions, including a number of amateur productions, Lawrence Batley runs an outreach programme for hard to reach and deprived communities as well as a youth theatre and theatre in education.

The theatre has survived and thrived over the last thirty years with its biggest challenge being the pandemic.

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"We had aboard meeting when Covid hit and decided that the theatre was just too important in the community to close and so we adapted doing digital performance which meant people stayed connected with the theatre when they couldn’t go out,” says Becky.

"We were worried when we eventually reopened that audiences might not feel happy returning to the theatre but people have been so supportive. I think they appreciated what we had been doing during the pandemic.”

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