THREE is the magic number for the 33 Arts Centre in Luton, which celebrates its 33rd birthday this week.
The centre, which was the first arts hub of its kind in the town, is inviting anyone who has been involved in the arts over the years to join the celebrations with a party at the Hat Factory on Saturday, November 26.
Established in 1978 at 33 Guildford Street by Linda Farrell, aka Muddie, and Paul Jolly, 33 was renowned for live theatre, music, film, dance, photography and community spirit.
The charitable organisation supported new local talent, with notable alumni including Hollywood filmmaker Danny Cannon and film composer David Arnold, and saw famous faces such as John Hegley, Jo Brand, Ed Byrne and Eddie Izzard grace the stage.
33 were prominent in the early days of Channel 4, and the 33 Video Group’s early scratch video, Death Valley Days, is a must for all studies of contemporary film and video making.
The group were a big name on the jazz scene, with the 33 Big Band featuring on Anglia TV, and jazz artist Tina May teaching music workshops.
The trading arm of the charity still exists as 33 RPM, supported by 33 JAZZ Records, a distinguished independent record label with more than 250 international releases to date.
Linda and Paul continue to work as the Luton Community Arts Trust from their headquarters at SNAP Studios at the Hat Factory and support emerging talent from Luton.
The 33 team work with local photographer and artist Hugh Byrne and last year won Community Project of the Year at Luton’s Best Awards.
To celebrate the success of the past 33 years, co-founder Tim Powell, who now resides in Crete, will return to the studio, where there will also be an exhibition of the rich history of 33 from the archives, featuring film and photography.
The ‘jewel in Luton’s art-scene crown’ boasted a photography studio, art and exhibition space, stage, film editing suite, screening room, recording studio and vegetarian cafe decades ahead of its time, and organisers want to share the rich history with performers, audience members and the public.
Contact snap@snap33.co.uk or call 01582 419584 for more information or to register your attendance at the party or visit the exhibition.