Curtain up as town’s new venue hopes to be hit with the public

Yorkshire’s newest venue opened its doors for the first time in June and for Garry Cooper it was the moment when he had to put his theory to test.

Convinced the town could support its own arts centre, the actor had taken over the Grade II listed Milton Rooms and persuaded a number of big names, from Kathy Burke to Bill Nighy to lend their support. With the initial programme complete, all he could do was wait for the box office phone to ring.

“There were quite a lot of times when I did wonder whether we had done the right thing,” says Garry, who has appeared in Quadrophenia and My Beautiful Launderette.

“But Malton is my home town and I just had a feeling that it was crying out for somewhere like the Milton Rooms.”

Fortunately for Garry, who also persuaded his friend and colleague Nick Bagnall to come on board, the early signs look promising. The opening gala evening, a promenade production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with a large community cast, was a hit and tickets are selling fast for their forthcoming shows.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream was when we really saw everything come together,” says Garry. “We had 180 local people in the cast and that was really important. A venue like this is only going to work if the people who live in Malton feel like they have an emotional investment in the place.

“A production like that brought many people into the venue who don’t normally go to the theatre. They came to see their friend, their mother or brother performing and hopefully they will come back again.”

The Milton Rooms was built by the Fitzwilliam family in 1814 and was gifted to the town for the benefit of Malton residents. That philosophy of public access and involvement remains, but over the years the venue had become a little neglected.

“It was hired out for auctions and the occasional ballroom dance, but it seemed to me that it had massive potential,” says Garry, who later this month will welcome Barry Cryer to the Milton Rooms. “Before we opened, people had to travel to York or Scarborough to go to the theatre and on a wet, Wednesday evening that’s not particularly appealing.

“Since we opened we’ve already had a booking for a four-day music festival and the programme for next year is also coming together. Barry Cryer came to the opening gala and was really impressed with what we are doing and I hope that as word spreads other people will be too. Next month Chris Rawlins will bring his Mentalist show to Malton, in September we are planning a Quadrophenia family fun day and we are all excited about the future.”

The Milton Rooms was funded through a combination of council funding, private grants and donations and Garry is confident the venue will deliver good value for money.

“Adversity can actually benefit theatre,” he says. “It makes you think much more about what you are doing and how you can deliver it. Everyone involved in the Milton Rooms has about 10 jobs, but being involved in something you really believe in is the ultimate satisfaction.”

Barry Cryer with Colin Cell, The Milton Rooms, July 27. 01653 600048, www.themiltonrooms.com