Rehearsals are underway for 509 Arts’ brand new one-hour opera, which will premiere at the end of November and narrates 24 hours in the life of Batley and its people.

Billed as ‘ the inside story of a northern town’, The Batley Variations will be performed from 23 to 25 November by local performers in a spectacularly designed cabaret environment.  It will feature songs about The Golden Mile, Batley Bulldogs, Fox’s Biscuits, Batley Market, as well as lesser- known personal stories, gathered during the last few months from people based in the former mill town.

The libretto has been written by Mike Kenny, known for his Olivier award-winning production of the Railway Children, and the music has been composed by Richard Taylor, recipient of two UK Theatre awards.

The Batley Variations has been commissioned by Batley Business Association and Creative Scene and will be premiered at St Mary’s Social Club, in the heart of the town.

Andrew Marsden, Chair of Batley Business Association, said: “We presented the very first Batley Does Opera in partnership with Opera North in 2016.  Now, with massive support from Arts Council England through the National Lottery, we have commissioned something just as impressive and entirely born out of the people and stories here.  We have a cast of more than 50 people including school children from Batley Girls Grammar, Carlinghow Primary and Batley Parish, factory workers, shop assistants, retired people and many more all joining together to bring this professional  production to the town. The standard is so high – we have so much talent in Batley and the transformation of  St Mary’s Social Club into a glamorous northern cabaret venue just has to be experienced.”