A NEW conversation is about to be launched in Bridgwater.

The dialogue will be set into motion by Adam Clarke, the chief executive and artistic director at Bridgwater Arts Centre. He’s the new man at the helm of the venue and wants, in his words, to make the arts centre ‘more of a community hub’ and a building which is ‘fizzing with a creative atmosphere’.

Adam has only recently taken up his position at the arts centre (he has been there for three weeks) but is already forward thinking in wanting to lift the centre into a new creative age.

He said: “The arts centre is seen as traditional and what I would like to see it develop into a creative community hub, making it provocative, creative with an innovative programme. I would like to see it also develop a creative enterprise with an educational programme. We want to keep it local but also look at how it can work regionally and nationally. We want to broaden the appeal of the centre making it more attractive to young people and those marginalised in the Bridgwater area. I think we want to be contemporary as well as drawing on the heritage of the centre.”

Adam, who used to run two creative agency businesses in Birmingham, is in one sense ‘coming home’ as he grew up in Glastonbury. As the new man at the arts centre, he is delighted to work with the dedicated band of volunteers whose help is vital for the arts centre’s survival.

He is delighted to be part of the team and wants to create ‘something unique’ in Bridgwater which will be ‘extraordinary’ and which will ‘stand out from the crowd’.

Adam said: “We want to look at the space we have and what we can do. We want to make it more dynamic so people can enjoy it from 9am to 5pm and beyond. We have a 200-seater theatre and are looking at how we can utilise the space on the second and third floors and cultivate a programme to appeal to investors. We want to create something unique. We want this to be a place people will come locally and regionally.