Bath
Arts Workshop who started in 1970 was run in the style of the Arts Lab of Drury Lane, London.
Its
policy was to involve the community in projects
to break down barriers between "work / play / art / drama and social
activity, to integrate all ages and types of people and to stimulate
creativity on a collective as well as on an individual level".
It
staged its first event in June 1970 and started the
first "Other Festival" in 1971 during Bath Festival week. The
second "Other Festival" was a ten day event with 20 hours of entertainment
a day.
At
this time the workshop had a full time but voluntary staff
running projects all year round as well as the yearly festival when
many temporary volunteers joined the team.
The
Workshop started life in premises in Fountain
Buildings, then moved to The Organ Factory where the daily
communal meal was remembered as being an important social and life-giving
event.
The
weekly Co-Ord was held on a Tuesday, when major decision making
took place.
The
Workshop Shop opened in The Paragon
(now The Paragon Winebar). It sold everything and anything, profits
from which were put back into Workshop projects.A workshop member
remembers jumble as being a very important commodity at this time,
the race was on to see who could get to it first.
It was also an early
Virgin Records outlet. Number 146 Walcot Street was the final
property to be Bath Arts Workshop. This became the shop, whilst
the Paragon became Aunty Margaret's Teashop.
Projects
such as the Adventure Playgrounds were highly successful and
fondly remembered by children of the period.
Workshop
Films was an important and popular exponent,
recording events and running film workshops for such groups as The
Riverside Truant School.
The
Snow Hill Road Show was a childrenšs theatre group, who, in
the 1972 festival had their own theatre at the Cleveland Hotel and
ran children only events.
The
workshop offered many facilities including
King Kong Transport, King Kong Workforce, Comtek Builders,
Festival advice, photographic, recording and video equipment, Community
Technology, Civil Aid and the Natural Theatre Company.
