Church to restore open-air quarry theatre

A COMMUNITY of monks is hoping to re-open a natural amphitheatre for performances of plays, music and opera.

The Community of the Resurrection in Mirfield, near Dewsbury, includes an old quarry area which forms a natural amphitheatre which was last used for performances around 40 years ago.

Mirfield-born actor Sir Patrick Stewart had his first stage experience in the quarry theatre and leaders including Keir Hardie and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst addressed crowds there.

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The Anglican religious community has submitted plans to refurbish the overgrown space and has been in talks with Opera North and the Huddersfield Choral Society about its re-use.

A Kirklees planning committee will meet on Thursday this week to discuss the proposals.

Planning officers are recommending that the scheme be given the go-ahead.

The plans state that the temporary parking would be needed on the former cricket ground.

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There would be a programme of up to 14 performances per year between May and September with matinee performances going on no later than 5pm. There will be no need for lighting or amplification.

Work will need to take place to clear the existing terraces and provide recycled plastic seating. A grassed area in front of the stage will be retained to form a picnic style seating area. A retractable cover would be built over the stage and fixed to the existing rock face.

The amphitheatre could have a maximum occupancy of 750 and the car park would have up to 200 spaces.

The majority of performances would be on Sundays between 2pm and 5pm, with the occasional mid-week performance in August.

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Father George Guiver, spokesman for the Community of the Resurrection, said: “The theatre uses a natural amphitheatre which was the result of the area being a quarry from at least the 18th century. At the end of the 19th century the Community turned it into a theatre, initially for open-air services and meetings, but it rapidly came to be used for plays.

“Keir Hardie spoke there, and Mrs Pankhurst. The plays continued until 1976, when for a variety of reasons our students were no longer able to mount them.

“At that point it was allowed to get overgrown, and only recently has interest being shown in restoring it. Opera North, the Huddersfield Choral Society and other bodies want to make use of the theatre, and this has encouraged us to go forward.

“We are waiting for a decision from the planning authority before applying for grants to carry out the work, but our hope is to be able to have the theatre ready for use in the summer of 2015, for operas, plays, and performances by voluntary bodies. Use would be fairly limited, with a maximum of 14 performances each year.”

Mirfield Councillor Martyn Bolt said: “I am very supportive of this. I think it will be an asset, bringing back small-scale productions into the community.”