Why Cast is a cultural lifeline for the people of Doncaster

The good news is that there’s more where that came from. I wouldn’t want to leave the job I began back at the start of lockdown in March unfinished and the truth is I have a whole list of companies and venues yet to write about in this series. Today I arrive in a sometimes forgotten corner of Yorkshire, culturally.

I remember writing about Cast when it first opened under the watchful gaze of Kully Thiarai, the building’s first artistic director who is now the woman leading the Leeds 2023 cultural celebration as creative director. My only previous contact with Doncaster was when I attended a basketball camp as a teenager based at the Dome: the city’s name wasn’t one I associated with culture.

“We are a new theatre, only seven years old, and we opened in an area where engagement in the arts was considered to be quite low,” says Deborah Rees, the theatre’s director these days.

“We have had to adapt and listen carefully to what our audiences and communities want and we’ve had to work hard for them to trust us. In those seven years we’ve built relationships – there’s still plenty of work to do, but our audiences like the programme and the range of work we put on.”

It’s true. Thiarai is a bold leader and challenged the audiences when the venue first opened with some impressive work and her long history of community engagement was an undoubted bonus when it came to running Cast, but in a town where culture is not as highly valued as it is in some of our other major towns and cities, it was always going to be a little like skating uphill.

Rees and her team continue the good work. There is a popular regular comedy night at the venue and an eclectic programme of touring work brought into Doncaster.

All venues have been hammered by the unprecedented times in which we find ourselves, the virus and the vagaries of the governmental response taking a toll on all our cultural houses, but some have been hit harder than others.

Rees says: “The arts have been woefully left behind with the impact of this pandemic. The industry has been decimated and thousands of talented people have been left without jobs. It’s as if we’ve been forgotten. It’s not that easy to just reopen a theatre; it takes months to put shows together and get them ready for production and touring.

“But as a theatre we will continue to reach out to our communities and audiences and I think there will be a real thirst for people to come together once this is all over, to enjoy that sheer experience of togetherness that we’ve missed for so long. Theatre will be that space where we will be able to mourn, celebrate, remember, reflect and look forward hopefully to a brighter future.”

In order to create an equilibrium with the lockdown profiles I’ve been writing this past six months, I ask the venues I am profiling the same questions. It means the Sheffield Crucible gets the same questions asked of it as Bradford’s Theatre in the Mill. One of the questions I ask is ‘what are three key things we should know about your theatre?’

Rees is the first to tell me about the toilets. “We have 62 toilets for our customers. Yes, 62, plus a changing places toilet and four accessible toilets. Useful to know,” she says. I like to think it also says something about the way people are welcomed into Cast at Doncaster.

“Everyone is welcome and we welcome everyone. We’ve made connections with many different groups, organisations and communities to understand better what would make their visit relaxing and enjoyable and to identify shows and events that people want to see. We’re also a Theatre of Sanctuary.”

Rees makes it more personal.

“Working at Cast isn’t just about running a theatre. It has such a unique place in Doncaster and I’ve loved the partnership work that is so strong here; we work closely with many agencies and organisations to bring improvements and enhanced quality of life to people living and working in Doncaster,” she says.

The theatre opened its doors back in 2013 with a production close to the hearts of the people of the city: Richard Cameron’s Glee Club. It also stages hugely popular annual pantomimes and last year brought an open air giant puppet show, Rise, from France. It is planning a community production with over 100 people from the city of The Caucasian Chalk Circle in partnership with the National Theatre.

“We put on good stuff,” says Rees. “There’s shows by early career artists with big bold new ideas; there’s well known repertoire, a range of events from theatre to comedy, opera to dance and music to circus. We also have lots of ways for people of all ages to actually take part and participate in the arts.”

Despite the difficult times, the theatre’s director is overwhelmingly positive, perhaps because she really understands what a beacon she has in the town.

“A theatre adds to the cultural wealth of a place. It attracts people to the town, visitors and business, as well as providing great entertainment. We have national partnerships with the Royal Opera House which includes a fantastic educational programme with the aim of reaching every school in the borough.

“We’re all determined to see this through and get back to doing what we do best and getting the theatre open.”

Cast reopening season

The good news is that Cast is reopening to the public. The autumn season begins tonight with the Comedy Club featuring Ivan Brackenbury and tomorrow with a double bill of documentaries featuring a Q and A with historian Norma Gregory. Other events include Music in the Round concerts and a new production from Red Ladder – My Voice Was Heard But it Was Ignored.

Theatre director Deborah Rees says: “Events and shows are still being added with something happening every week until Christmas.”

For full details visit www.castindoncaster.com

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Thank you

James Mitchinson