Meeting documents

Considered the verbal update presented by The Chief Executive, Mrs Vanessa Lefrancois and the Chair of Trustees, Mrs Val Hammond from the Brewhouse Theatre and Arts Centre.

The update highlighted the achievements that had been delivered in 2018-19, which included the Brewhouse’s 40^th Anniversary projects:-

           ·          Artist’s commissions and support for artists developing visual and performance art;

           ·          Full community and participation programme;

           ·          Popular cinema and live theatre events which included BBC Singers Concert presented on BBC Radio 3;

           ·          Family Friendly status, work experience, traineeships and Young Friends’ Scheme; and

           ·          Brewhouse Friends Scheme, improvements on the front of house areas e.g. handrails in auditorium.

The 2018 positive news stories were:-

           ·          Continued growth for the first six months of 2018-19, attendances had increased by 25% and income generated by 26%.  That demonstrated demand and a good balance within the programme.

           ·          Taunton Theatre Association received a visit from Jeremy Wright MP, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.  They had also received a visit by the Chief Executive of Arts Council England, Darren Henley.  Both were full of praise for the growth and development of the Brewhouse.

           ·          Braziers Coffee Roasting specialists opened the café on 1 December 2018 with Head Chef Steven Kieren formerly owner and chef of Silvers Pantry.

           ·          Anne Frank exhibition with an emphasis on creative writing by young people, conflict and prejudice today.

           ·          The third successive successful Christmas production with sales up 12% on last year.

A terrific theatre and dynamic varied cultural programme came with a cost.  Despite all their hard work, a tiny team and many volunteer hours, they could not deliver a profitable enterprise within the current scale of auditorium and facilities.  That was why they were working so hard to realise the Brewhouse’s long overdue development.  They were desperate for more seats, larger studios and better facilities to generate income in order to sustain the level of excellent arts provision and cultural experience.

During the discussion, the following points were made:-

           ·          Members thanked the Chief Executive and her staff for all their hard work.

           ·          Members highlighted that it was good to see that donations to the theatre had doubled and that the majority of income had increased apart from income from grants.

The Chief Executive from the Arts Council had visited the Brewhouse and spoke highly about the arts programmes and cultural activities that had been organised at the Brewhouse but they still struggled with grant allocations.

           ·          Members requested further detail on the Community and Participation Programme.

Further details would be distributed to the Committee.

           ·          Concern was raised on the loss of parking in the Coal Orchard car park and whether that would have an impact on the Brewhouse.

The Chief Executive and Chair of Trustees had worked on the assumption that more parking would be provided on the Firepool development site, but now that was not going ahead, there was concern for their patrons and where they could park and safely walk to and from the theatre.

           ·          Members suggested that the access to Canon Street car park could be improved.

The Chief Executive agreed, however, they did not have the jurisdiction over the public footpaths so could not carry out the necessary works required to improve the route.

           ·          Members were surprised about the concern on parking as there were several car parks located near the theatre.

Unfortunately the routes to and from the car parks were not suitable for many patrons due to the uneven surfaces and poor lighting, especially for those who had attended evening performances.

           ·          Members suggested that the Chief Executive could approach the Somerset County Council (SCC) and request they improve the access to the car parks.

The Chief Executive and Chair of Trustees agreed but highlighted that the whole transport infrastructure needed improvement.

           ·          Members suggested a pricing structure for the Coal Orchard car park that might help free up spaces for the users of the Brewhouse.

           ·          Members queried what was happening with the Taunton Stadium Project.

The Chief Executive hoped that Taunton Deane Borough Council (TDBC) would focus the completion of the Brewhouse development rather than try and take on too many projects which would deflect the focus away from the Brewhouse.  Their aim was to have their project set up to a high standard to generate the desired income results.

           ·          Members queried what would the development achieve.

It would achieve a much better equipped larger auditorium, which they would use to attract the touring shows to pull in the wider audiences and raise the income needed to help sustain the theatre.  It would also mean better facilities across the whole building which included the retention of the cinema.

           ·          Concern was raised on the finances and that their savings had gone down.

The Brewhouse did not have the same resources that other theatres had.  Part of their strategy was to calculate the optimum seating capacity so they could increase the income generated.  Further information on their finances and development options were given.

           ·          Members queried what was included in the grants section of the finance report.

It included grants from TDBC, various grants from the Arts Council and grants from the National Lottery.

           ·          Members highlighted that they received fliers through their door for a theatre in Yeovil but not from the Brewhouse.

The theatre in Yeovil was fully funded by South Somerset District Council, so had a higher budget for marketing.

           ·          Members highlighted the success of the Polish film that had recently been screened at the cinema and queried whether films in other languages would be shown.

Yes to encourage other audiences to use the facilities.

           ·          Members supported the development project at the Brewhouse and queried how they would manage the events scheduled for when the building could not be used due to the development works.

The Chief Executive and Chair of Trustees were trying to keep the period of time the building would be closed to a minimum and were looking into alternative venues to use during that time.  They were carrying out a lot of work to ensure that participants were involved during the development and they would go out into the community and consult on the options available.

           ·          Members praised the Chief Executive and Chair of Trustees on the positive position the Brewhouse was in and the participation events that were held at the theatre.

           ·          Concern was raised on the development of the Coal Orchard.

Members were reminded of the role of the Scrutiny Committee and that certain topics could not be discussed, e.g. planning applications.

           ·          Members queried how the Committee could take any actions discussed at the meeting forward through the democratic process.

The Chairman confirmed that they could make recommendations to Full Council and was happy to support the option for the development of an auditorium with an optimum seating capacity.

           ·          Members suggested a Spotlight Task and Finish event could be set up to focus on the options for the Brewhouse Development.

Resolved that the Scrutiny Committee:-

1)    Noted the update report.

2)    Requested clarification from the Council over who was the Lead Officer on the Brewhouse Project and for them to bring a report back to the Committee as soon as practicable that took into account the latest research undertaken by MACE.

3)    To run a Scrutiny Task and Finish ‘Spotlight Review’ as soon as capacity allowed to focus on the Brewhouse Project issues discussed at the meeting and to investigate how the Council could further facilitate and support their ambitions.

4)      To recommend that the Council worked with partners including SCC to make improvements to the parking offer for the theatre which included the access from Canon Street car park.