Kala Sangam - the Bradford arts organisation making a name for itself

The city of my alma mater, it has hidden its light under a bushel for too long but is increasing in confidence – its bid for UK City of Culture in 2025 is the perfect manifestation of this confidence. There are those who laugh at the city’s ambitions, unaware of the culture and counterculture Bradford represents in its theatres.

Last week I was at the university’s Theatre in the Mill, a bastion of radical theatre making. This week I arrive at another of the city’s tucked-away venues that punches above its weight. Kala Sangam is an arts organisation with a theatre nestled between Bradford Cathedral and the city’s Broadway shopping centre.

Three years ago it appointed Alex Croft as creative director, marking a significant gear change in its ambition.

“We’ve been on a journey since 2017 that has placed Bradford and its diverse communities at the heart of everything we do. That’s what defines us now,” says Croft.

“For a long time we were largely associated with classical Indian performance, and we do still put on a great deal of that, but it’s now presented within a wider programme. We’re also always looking for relevance. For instance, the South Asian work we support is now much more focused on artists who are examining their dual cultural heritage, and what that means to them. Supporting people to tell their authentic stories of Bradford, or that are relevant to Bradford, is what we’re really interested in.”

It is also an organisation with an open door – I know from personal experience – when I was looking for somewhere to workshop a piece of theatre last year, the building was very welcoming. “We’re definitely an arts centre, not a theatre, and there is a difference, I think. Our theatre space is really important, but actually our function as a community space, and as a hub for artists and artistic organisations is just as important.”

In the old Post Office building in the city centre, it’s a strange fact that Bradfordians are not as au fait with the Kala Sangam as the organisation might hope.

“If I had a pound for every time someone said to me ‘this is amazing, I had no idea you were here’ we’d be rolling in it,” says Croft. “Because of our name we’re also used to people thinking we’re a place of worship or maybe somewhere that’s only for people who speak Sanskrit, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The word is definitely getting out there – our audiences are up over 60 per cent since 2017 – but we know there’s more people we need to reach.

“The other key thing people should know is that you can come and see something at Kala Sangam risk free, thanks to our Pay What You Decide ticketing. That’s been such a positive move for us – audiences shot up by almost a third and our audience responses show us it’s definitely helping us reach people who previously couldn’t afford to attend.”

Croft, who had previously worked at Northern Ballet, Leeds Playhouse and Phoenix Dance, has a wealth of experience working in the region’s arts companies, but describes the role of leading Kala Sangam creatively as ‘my dream job’.

To those who sometimes peer down their noses at my home city, it may come as a surprise that Bradford was a key part in that being the case.

“When I took the job it felt like Bradford was on the verge of being a really exciting place to be – something that’s played out with the Producing Hub project and the city going for City of Culture,” says Croft.

The Producing Hub is a three-year project led by Theatre in the Mill aimed at producing live art and supporting art workers in the city.

“Bradford’s different to other cities, in that we don’t have some of those dominant cultural institutions. Instead we’re more like a patchwork quilt – we all need to work together to be bigger than the sum of our parts. Kala Sangam is definitely one of those key pieces helping hold everything together. I think we’re more important now to the city than ever before.

"We’re a home for artists – particularly musicians and dancers, we’re one of the steering group for Bradford’s Producing Hub, and home to Dance United Yorkshire, Freedom Studios and Bradford’s 2025 bid team. Nationally we’re being held up as an example of best practice about how to place diversity at the heart of your business planning. Our Poetry Open Mic nights are being recognised as some of the most diverse in the country and I think that’s reflective of the wider use of our space.”

When this passes and we have to believe that this too shall pass, a trip to Kala Sangam will seriously be worth your while.

“One of the last performances we had before we locked down was a sold-out show of HELM by The Talent Hub. That was the culmination of a three-year project that we helped steer, working with learning disabled and/or autistic dancers to create a new professional piece of work.

“It was defining for us because as well as supporting those dancers on an amazing journey, we learned so much ourselves that we’ve added into everything that we do at Kala Sangam. We’re a better, more inclusive space now as a result.”

Kala Sangam. Just another reason Bradford has the confidence to forge ahead with its plans for 2025 – and one of the reasons why the city’s cultural renaissance might really happen this time around.

To find out more and if you would like to make a donation to support Kala Sangam through the current crisis visit kalasangam.org.uk

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