509 Arts

09/09/2026

The inside story of a Northern town!

Another joyful look back at The Batley Variations — when Batley’s stories, characters and hidden corners took centre stage.

From the music and movement to the brilliant local talent, the production captured the warmth, humour and unmistakable spirit of the town. A very special celebration of Batley, created with and for its community.

Delve in and explore over on our Youtube https://youtu.be/7_mnKvglTRE

The story behind the Batley Variations

02/09/2026

How do you tell the story of a town? You start by listening to the people who call it home.

Back in 2018, we set out to get under the skin of Batley – talking to people in shops and offices, taxis and on the streets, digging into the town’s history, photographing local people and working with pupils in local schools.

Those conversations became The Batley Variations – a completely original community opera telling the story of 24 hours in the life of Batley.

And the community didn’t just inspire it – they performed it too! ❤️

🎶 65 local performers
🎭 A large community cast
🎼 Brand-new music and songs
💃 Choreography and live performance
🎥 Digital projections
👏 A sold-out weekend and an audience of 1,000

Along the way, we discovered just how much love and loyalty there is for Batley – a town where people pull together, get on with things and support one another when it matters.

That spirit became the heart of The Batley Variations.

A very special production and a brilliant reminder of what can happen when a community’s own stories take centre stage.



Production Photography - Tim Smith
Portraits - Tim Smith
Film and rehearsal photography - Raphael Pavel

28/08/2026

🎭 509 AT 15: THROWBACK TO THE BATLEY VARIATIONS

What happens when you turn the stories of a whole town into an opera?

In 2018, The Batley Variations did exactly that – an ambitious 60-minute community opera created with and about the people of Batley.

🏘️ Stories gathered in shops, offices, taxis and on the streets
🎶 65 local performers
🎭 Original music, live performance, choreography and digital projections
👏 A sold-out weekend reaching 1,000 people

Premiering at St Mary’s Social Club, the production followed 24 hours in the life of Batley – celebrating its local heroes and eccentrics, familiar places, hidden stories and, above all, the enormous love people have for their town.

Created following the tragic death of Jo Cox MP, the project grew from a desire to share positive and uplifting stories about Batley and celebrate the strength of its community.

One cast member summed up what taking part meant to them:

❤️ “I could never have believed back in January that I would be able to get up on a stage and do what I’ve done.”

The Batley Variations was commissioned by Batley Business Association and Creative Scene, following the first Batley Does Opera with Opera North in 2016.

And if you weren’t there, you can still see it – the full production and a short documentary are available to watch on our YouTube but there’s a snippet on this post for you 😊

Here’s the creative team behind the project:

🎬 Alan Dix – Artistic Director
✍🏼 Mike Kenny – Libretto
🎼 Richard Taylor – Composer
🗣 Em Whitfield Brooks – Choral Director
♫ Jenny Sheldon – Music Director
👗Naomi Parker – Design and Costumes
🛠️Claudia Jevons – Prop maker and Costumes Assistant
🎨Shanaz Gulzar – Digital Artist
💃Hannah and Drew Wintie-Hawkins – Choreography
🤝Madiha Ansari – Community Liaison

65 local performers were involved, including students of both Batley Parish Primary School and Carlinghow Primary School as well as members of Batley Community Choir and Batley's Older People Centre.

Here are the talented musicians involved:

🥁 Jo Brooks – Drums
🎸 Ru Brooks – Bass
🪈 Jo Lewis – Woodwind
🎹 Jenny Sheldon – Piano
🎺 Joshua Skyrme – Cornet

27/08/2026

Last week we looked back at ElderPower:Decade but there’s a LOT packed into this ten-year journey, so here are a few highlights! 👀

It all began in 2018, when 509 Arts Artistic Director Alan Dix turned 70, sparking a creative exploration of what it means to grow older.

Since then, ElderPower:Decade has explored childhood, memory, ageing bodies, mortality, science, creativity and much more, changing and evolving along the way.

And just look at some of the projects that have been part of that journey👇

📣 Megaphone
❤️ This Ole Heart
💃 Staying Alive
🍪 Broken Biscuits
🪞 On Reflection
🏭 Lost Mills and Ghost Mansions
🍽️ Meal One
🎨 Life Class
☕ CUPPA T

And it’s not finished yet!

ElderPower:Decade continues until 2028, as Alan continues his journey towards 80, including regularly documenting it through photographs.

Quite a decade so far! ❤️

25/08/2026

🎶 Love singing? Aged 60+? We’d love to hear from you!

The Lifers community Chorus is back in and you don’t need any previous singing experience or the ability to read music.
Come along to our FREE open workshop, meet the group and have a go!

🗓️ Thursday 17 September
🕔 5–7pm
📍 Bradford Arts Centre
💰 Free

Meet new people, learn original songs with professional music-theatre creatives and be part of an exciting new production, with a public performance planned for summer 2027.

👉 Register your interest today: [email protected]
Love to sing? Come and be a Lifer! 🎵

Find our more by seeing our documentary 👇

https://youtu.be/HeGV6FfrlPI?si=DvQ2pGGvm71r09TN

Commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Supported by Br...

20/08/2026

🎶 Love singing? Aged 60+? We’d love to hear from you!

The Lifers community Chorus is back in and you don’t need any previous singing experience or the ability to read music.

Come along to our FREE open workshop, meet the group and have a go!

🗓️ Thursday 17 September
🕔 5–7pm
📍 Bradford Arts Centre
💰 FREE

Meet new people, learn original songs with professional music-theatre creatives and be part of an exciting new production, with a public performance planned for summer 2027.

👉 Register your interest today: [email protected]

Love to sing? Come and be a Lifer! 🎵

📸 Lizzie Coombes

17/08/2026

🎶 Calling singers aged 60+ — join the Lifers Chorus! 🎶

We’re restarting our brilliant Lifers community Chorus ahead of an exciting new production, and we’d love to welcome some new voices!

You don’t need professional singing experience and you don’t need to read music — just bring your enthusiasm and love of singing. ❤️

🎵 Learn new original songs with Richard Taylor, composer of Life Class and Calderland, and Chorus Director Em Whitfield Brooks
👋 Meet new people and sing together
☕ Refreshments provided
💰 Session fees are voluntary
🎭 Plus, we’re working towards a public performance in summer 2027!

Come along to our FREE open workshop:

🗓️ Thursday 17 September
🕔 5–7pm
📍 Bradford Arts Centre

It’s a relaxed chance to meet the Lifers, Em, Richard and Al, have a sing and hear more about what we’ve got planned.

Regular rehearsals will then take place monthly on Wednesdays, 5–7pm, starting in October.

📧 Interested? Email [email protected] to register and we’ll send you everything you need to know.

And please share this with the music-loving 60+ people in your life — although don’t worry, we won’t be checking ID! 😉🎶

🎥 Want a flavour of Lifers? Check out our short documentary below 👇

Commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture. Supported by Br...

14/08/2026

🔙 Throwback: ElderPower: Decade

You may have noticed a recurring theme in 509 Arts’ work: ageing and older people. Today, we’re returning to the project that began this focus.

In 2018, our Artistic Director, Alan Dix, turned 70—and his ten-year journey to 80 began!

This milestone inspired a commission from Theatre in the Mill exploring the ageing process and the many changes that the decade between 70 and 80 can bring.

Originally known as *Decade*, the programme has taken many forms. Its projects have revisited childhood, considered what happens when we die, interrogated memory, researched ageing bodies, and brought art and science together through conversations with a microbiologist about growing older.

When the pandemic arrived—with its devastating impact on older people—we had to find new ways of working. Like everyone else, we learnt a great deal and began to see the world differently. *Decade* became *ElderPower*: an active, engaged and inclusive expression of older people’s creativity.

Projects and events within the commission have included:

📢 Megaphone (2018)
🏫 School Workshops (2018)
🫀 This Ole Heart (2020)
🕺 Staying Alive (2022)
🍪 Broken Biscuits (2022)
🪞 On Reflection (2022)
🍽️ Meal One (2022)
🧵 Lost Mills and Ghost Mansions (2023)
🎨 Life Class (2025)
☕ Cuppa T (2025)

We’ll revisit some of these projects in more detail in future Throwbacks

With ElderPower: Decade continuing until 2028, we’re excited to keep exploring ageing in creative and engaging ways. Follow our social channels and newsletters for opportunities to take part in our latest projects.

And yes—Alan is still taking regular photographs to document his journey to 80!

📷 Photography by Carolyn Mendelsohn, Tim Smith and Balbir Singh Dance Company

10/08/2026

It’s a small world 🌍

What do we do when no-one is listening? When you are forgotten, unheard and drowned out?

Megaphone is small world demonstration! Make yourself heard! We bring people’s voices to a table top to create an army of miniature people who’ve all got something to say. People make banners with tiny words, put them in the hands of the table top throng to shake things up and change the world a bit.

Originally created by Al Dix and Sandra McCracken for the Wi(t)hness Weekend at Theatre in the Mill in October 2019, Megaphone is an evolving participatory artwork that can be used in all number of creative participatory contexts

We’re loving going back through our projects, it’s so much fun, 15 years has gone by in a flash ⚡️⚡️all the memories of the wonderful people we’ve worked with and the fantastic work ☺️

07/08/2026

You may have spotted that we are celebrating 15 years of 509 Arts 🥳

Over the last 15 years, 509 Arts has worked with hundreds of people, created unforgettable events, transformed spaces, and shared countless creative moments.
Now we're reminiscing.

We've been sharing some of our memories, milestone projects and stories from the archives as part of our new 509 Arts Throwback series

You might spot a project you took part in, recognise a familiar face, or discover something from our history that you never knew about.

Keep an eye on our socials and join us as we take a trip down memory lane.

✨ Do you have a favourite 509 Arts memory? Tell us in the comments.

Current projects Eras in the millWhat’s your story? Theatre in the Mill turns 50! Join us in celebrating this small arts venue, based on the campus of Bradford University, by sharing your memories of how the theatre impacted your creative journey.   SEE MORE... Unspun StoriesDiscover Bradford’s...