‘One of the things the festival can do is make you see the place you live in a different way’

EIGHTEEN months ago Jonathan Best moved to Holmfirth and discovered a thriving arts festival on his doorstep.

Now he is using his skills as a festival, music and theatre director to help build on the success of an event which has become a showcase for the community and for the landscape which surrounds it.

The Holmfirth Arts Festival runs from June 11 to 26 and will use more than a dozen venues in Holmfirth and across the Holme Valley to host music, theatre, poetry, photography, comedy and all manner of other creative arts.

You will be able to play a piano in the street, find art and adventure out in the woods, listen to poetry and prose in the very places in the valley on which it is based, enjoy puppetry and percussion and share your story-telling skills.

“One of the things that the festival can do is make you see the place you live in a different way,” said Jonathan who is the Holmfirth Arts Festival’s new director.

“We are trying to build on the previous festivals and stay true to the ideals that were there from the beginning.”

Those ideals, says Jonathan, remain true to the vision of chairman Keith Griffin who pioneered the festival and aimed to make arts and creativity open to all.

“We are trying to move this really well-loved community arts organisation on and develop it over the next few years so that it will be here and going forward in 10 years,” said Jonathan.

What will not change is the festival’s fundamental connection to Holmfirth, to the Holme Valley, its people and its landscape.

“There are so many people here doing interesting things.

“We want to build a festival that makes things and doesn’t just buy things in.

“We don’t want the festival just to look inwards about what is going on there.

“ Balancing things that are made here with things that we create with people from outside the valley is one of the most critical things that we have to achieve.

“We want to celebrate creativity in the valley but we also need to think about what audiences want,” he said.

With last week’s festival launch behind them, the festival’s volunteers are counting down to the start of a packed 16 day programme.

Jonathan meanwhile, has another first night to worry about.

Tomorrow he will be in Glasgow for Much Ado About Music, a night of theatrically inspired words and music with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and a company of actors. Jonathan will have his director’s hat on.

He’s also got work at the Royal Exchange in Manchester in his diary. Hardly surprising for a man who spent 10 years working with the City of London Sinfonia and has also been on the staff of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Opera and Opera North.

Jonathan says that a Clore Fellowship, designed to develop leadership in the cultural sector, gave him the space to research, travel, learn and develop ideas.

And it also enabled him to devote time to the arts festival which was already rooted so strongly in his new home town.

“I’m from Lincolnshire but I’ve spent most of my career in London,” he said.

“I moved to Manchester about five years ago to run a festival of experimental and performance theatre. For a long time I’d wanted to work in the north. I wanted to get back to where I felt most at home.

“Now I walk my dog for an hour every morning in this wonderful landscape. I can’t imagine living anywhere where the day doesn’t start like that.”

Jonathan’s personal response to the landscape has been mirrored by Holmfirth Arts Festival since it began more than three years ago.

Many of its events remain rooted in that environment.

Not all go as far as artists Jez Dolan and Dan Fox who spent four days walking the River Holme, collecting material for a new art work.

They tracked the river from its source to centre of Holmfirth and used video, photography and sound recording to create a celebratory piece about the river which many of us see every day.

Others have brought their own views and skills to what has been called The River Project.

Rubbish collected from the water has been recycled and used in specially made gift items which will be on sale in the town.

And for others, what better way to enjoy the river than by taking an hour long guided walk along the banks of the Holme hearing music, poetry and local history about the river.

In addition to all those images of the valley and the people who live there, the festival offers performances of everything from stand-up comedy to classical music.

Kick-start your festival with a spectacular percussion concert courtesy of Oliver Cox and Owen Gunnell known as what else but O Duo.

And if your teenagers can’t wait to get their hands on a drum kit, let them loose on an hour long workshop run by a couple of experts.

There’s contemporary folk music with one of Scotland’s most celebrated trios Drever McKusker Woomble with guest Heidi Talbot or classic Greek myths with renowned storyteller Daniel Morden and cellist Sarah Moody.

For stunning strings join the Sacconi Quartet as they play Debussy and Schubert or take a larger than life trip with Chol Theatre as they take their audience for a spin in a specially designed inflatable pod.

You can test out your musical skills on one of five upright pianos which will be stationed around Holmfirth during the festival.

And if that’s not the key to getting the streets buzzing then how about the Peace Artistes, a street band said to be like no other.

Eighteen musicians on percussion, saxes and brass will get the town rocking if no-one else can.

If a dose of comedy is more your thing then make Phil Hammond the only doctor you see this year.

He will be dispensing his Rude Health Show in the non-surgical atmosphere of Holmfirth’s Parish Church.

If you prefer your comedy up close and even more personal then why not take a seat in award winning comedian Laura Mugridge’s camper van.

Laura’s new show, Running On Air is staged in a vintage, VW campervan in unmissable yellow and there are just five seats on any of Laura’s regular trips from Land’s End to Edinburgh – in a manner of speaking!

And head out to Honley to meet award winning comedian Josie Long who will bring her new show to Southgate Theatre, Honley (Thursday June 16th, 8pm).

For full details on the festival programme pick up a brochure or check online at: www.holmfirthartsfestival.com