Drama group campaigners step up fight to save stage

Published on 19th April 2007 in News

Goole Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society (GAODS) members have taken the fight to save themselves from possible disbandment to the streets - and, they say, have received strong public support.

The £15 million facelift of Vermuyden School, which will see a new gym, changing rooms, youth centre, teaching rooms and car parking, is set to be approved by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) in the next few weeks.

However, as the Goole Times reported at the beginning of this month, this could leave GAODS and other performing groups without a place to perform because there will be no permanent stage.

"The architect suggested we could have a rostrum," said the society's secretary, Jean Williams.

"But no rostrum's going to stand 80 people on it."

Single-sex dressing rooms large enough to accommodate the cast of 80 or so could also be a problem.

The group are also say that the new arts centre proposed for the current site of Goole's new market hall, which will have around 170 seats, would not be large enough to accommodate GAODS' 300+ audiences.

On Saturday, members were out in force in the town's precinct to alert the public to the problem facing the group and launch their 'Save Our Stage' campaign.

One of the things that became clear was that many people were unaware that the society will be affected by the changes at Vermuyden.

Jean Williams said: "It was astonishing the number of people who didn't know what was going to happen.

"Goole is going to lose its only community, large-sized stage and we're urging people to write to the East Riding."

Around 1,500 people signed a petition calling for something to be done to protect GAODS. Mrs Williams said: "We were supported by local shops, who brought out tea and coffee.

"Of all the people, we only had two refusals to sign."

Copies of the petition have also been left in the shops and flyers were handed out.

"It's not just for ourselves, but for the people of Goole," added Mrs Williams.

"The arts centre is totally inadequate for large-sized production. There's nothing comparable [to the Vermuyden stage] for 20 miles.

"We're trying to point this out to Goole Town Council and make the East Riding of Yorkshire Council think again."

Charlie Studdy, arts and leisure manager at Goole Town Council, said: "The arts centre will be suitable for a wide variety of groups.

"However, it wasn't designed with the Goole Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society in mind.

"They require an awful lot of dressing-room space, more seating capacity and a proscenium arch, which there simply isn't space on the site to have."

A spokesperson for the ERYC previously told the Goole Times that the proposals for Vermuyden School were made only after consultation with a wide range of potential user groups, students, staff as well as a public open day event all over the past 12 months.

He said: "Our consultation has suggested that the stage is not a requirement of the school and limits the potential of the existing hall for them.

"The new hall will be about one-third larger than the existing one and will also be much more flexible

"Refurbishing the hall would not give the school value for money whereas the proposed hall would in our view permit a wider and accessible range of activities and layouts throughout the school year.

"The new facilities in our view will offer a much broader range of flexible opportunities for the school and community."

No one was available to comment further on the proposals.

Copies of the 'Save Our Stage' petition are available to sign at the Goole Times offices on Boothferry Road.

People are also urged to write to the chairman of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hilary Saynor, at County Hall, Beverley, HU17 9BA.

* See letter, page 6.