Let’s Go Huddersfield sat down for an interview with Pete and Marianne from Mikron, a prolific theatre company based in our very own Marsden!
Read on for more on their business and Huddersfield on a wider scale.
Can you tell us a bit about Mikron’s work/background?
M: Mikron is very hard to nutshell! We perform shows that tackle big subject matters but often tell a story about the little people behind the big events. I think what makes Mikron unique is that we perform anywhere rather than just in theatres. We tour our plays to lots of different spaces in different communities. Mikron’s a charity and our whole raison d’etre is about accessibility; we offer artists and audiences the opportunity to create and enjoy theatre.
P: One of our USPs is that we tour by narrowboat. For example, we literally carry Marsden on the back of the boat everywhere we go because that’s where we’re based. The traditional sign writing on the boat has ‘Mikron Theatre, Marsden’ on it.
M: We break down barriers to theatre so people don’t have to cross a formal threshold, we take our plays to their spaces. In Huddersfield, we go to the Tolson Museum, Lindley Liberal Club, Hepworth Village Hall, New Mill Community Gardens, Meltham Complex, Slaithwaite Civic, Stirley Farm, Zapato, the Lawrence Batley Theatre and, of course, our home venue Marsden Mechanics. We often have collections at our shows so you don’t have to pay a ticket to cross the threshold.
P: We work with the deaf community and perform with Huddersfield Deaf Centre which is a social club that is owned and run by the deaf community. Every single show has integrated audio description, which means that anyone who has a visually impaired background or is blind can attend the show and understand everything without the need for a headset.
Can you explain your roles?
M: I’m Artistic Director so I look after every single creative decision that’s made at Mikron. I decide who is going to write, compose, direct, musically direct and act in the plays. I liaise very closely with the writers to develop scripts. Alongside that I also wear lots of other hats because we’re a very small company. For example, I book the tours, train the actors on how to steer the boat and captain Tyseley (our narrowboat) during the summer.
P: My role is Producer and I have overall responsibility for anything that’s not artistic. I spend 60-70% of my time doing finances, as well as the logistics which Marianne and I share. Every venue is unique, and that needs a lot of management.
How has Huddersfield helped Mikron?
P: It’s in our DNA. I really believe that. The reason we’re here is because Mike (who set up the company) saw an advert for a house that was by the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in Marsden. I think Huddersfield helps Mikron geographically because we tour from here and rent rooms in people’s houses in the village if our actors need accommodation. I think we’ve also got a really lovely network of local businesses that we use, including marketeers like Smith and local printers – we source as much as we can from Huddersfield and surrounding areas.
M: It’s also got a really rich history that we’ve been able to delve into for subject matters for our plays, for instance we did a play about the Luddites. That was amazing to research because we were in Marsden where William Horsfall was from so we were able to trace the steps of the Luddites.
Marsden also has a wonderful community. It’s a really friendly place and there’s a great level of support. There’s nothing more wonderful than a closing night at Marsden Mechanics where all the locals come and see us – it’s a really wonderful home crowd.
What change would you like to see in Huddersfield?
M: I think one of the challenges is the geography and the pure size of it. Being in Marsden, we’re at the very end of the road, as it were. Sometimes you can feel like even though it’s only 25 minutes into town, you feel separate from it
P: Historically, Huddersfield was massive in terms of industry and it’s also really well placed, geographically. I’d like to think that as the university grows, it feeds back into the town as well as the council’s regeneration work.
M: I’d like people to recognise its beauty and richness. You’ve got all these amazing brewers and wonderful artisan businesses. I don’t know whether people always recognise the beauty and craft that comes from Huddersfield.
P: One example of that craft is Darkwoods. They supply us at Mikron and are now the sole supplier of coffee for Fortnum & Mason!
What keeps Mikron in Huddersfield?
P: I think we’re inextricably linked now. We love this area and how accessible Huddersfield is to the rest of the country by van or boat as it’s so useful for our touring. The rail links are going to help with that too.
M: From our very first time in Marsden for our auditions until today, we’ve just fallen in love with the village. I feel like I come home when I drive through these hills. We’ve put down our roots here because of Mikron.
What surprises you about Huddersfield?
P: The thing that surprised me the most was the variety of what Huddersfield has to offer. You’ve got some of the most beautiful landscapes like Holmfirth’s natural beauty. The town hall is a fantastic venue in Huddersfield and you can get any sort of food you want in the town centre.
What do you think Huddersfield’s future looks like?
P: I think what is in place now will continue like the TransPennine upgrade and the town centre regeneration then it’s a bright future! It’s almost like the undiscovered corner of Yorkshire, with more to unwrap. I think people can be really blinkered about Huddersfield and its future. The town centre is not as bad as some people may think; you can list 30 things that Huddersfield has that other towns haven’t.
M: There’s always something new and exciting, and I think that will continue. Huddersfield seems to attract people that like to really hone their craft and I think people will start to visit us because of that and it’ll turn into a destination.
Are there any other comments you’d like to make?
P: We’ve chosen to be here and bring up our family here, we’re from Salford and York originally but this is our home. We’ve invested in Huddersfield now and we love it, it’s an easy place to live.
M: I’m really grateful for the place that it is and that it’s where I’m raising my children. All of the wonderful, different dynamic groups of people: cricket clubs, football clubs, Scouts and so much more. There’s a lot of people that have worked very hard to build an amazing community and I feel very grateful to be a part of that.
P: I never dread coming home. When I finish a holiday or a work trip/tour, I’m happy to be coming home to Huddersfield and I feel very lucky to have that.
