Nick Reed Director of The Helix
iin interview with Christina Quinlan
29 August 2003

Nick Reed Director of The Helix

Nick Reed Director of The Helix the arts centre at DCU is starting his second year at the helm. The first year of the life of The Helix saw the venue grow from what was essentially Nick says a blank canvass. Nick speaks of The Helix developing through the creativity of Marie-Louise O'Donnell, he says that from a relatively inhospitable cultural landscape and through a lot of goodwill The Helix grew in statue and expectation over a long gestation period. He said that he welcomed when he came on board the particular challenges, both exciting and daunting, posed by directing such a venue in such an environment.

Nick described as Herculean the efforts of The Helix staff the majority of whom came on board August 2002 in opening the venue. The first public performance was held at The Helix in September 2002 and the staff Nick remembers took ownership of the building just five days before that. Nick credits the success of the venue in its first year to the energy and creativity of the staff, to the generosity of the volunteer corps, committed individuals from the local community, and to the fineness of The Helix itself and its three auditora.

The three auditora at The Helix are The Mahony Hall which received last year an extraordinary number of endorsements from a huge number of performers among them Kiri Te Kanawa, Leslie Garrett and Bryn Terfel, performers who sold out at The Helix; the Theatre which last year hosted among many other productions an eight week 95% capacity run of 'The Woman who Walked into Doors' by Roddy Doyle one of Ireland's greatest writers; Nick explained how The Helix helped originate this work, how the management team at The Helix worked in direct partnership with the producers in bringing that work to stage; and The Space which Nick describes as the most unique small theatre venue in the city.

Nick said that 'The Woman who Walked into Doors' was one of 'quite a few hits' in the first year of The Helix, other hits were the television broadcast performances, You're a Star, and The Dunphy Show which began broadcast on TV3 recently, the rock concerts of Van Morrison and Lou Reed and the large scale operas and ballets. Nick also counts as hits the relationship between the venue and The National Chamber Choir, the choir in residence at DCU, and the strengthening of the relationship between the venue and the RTE Concert Orchestra.

Nick spoke of the challenge of directing a new venue in a city famous for what he called 'its city-centricity'. He said that the anchor of the city is still very much city centre and he mentioned the city's pronounced north south divide, but he said that marketing at The Helix had identified in it's demographic analysis of audiences at the venue a strong pattern of attendance from the DCU neighbours, the people of the Dublin 9, 11 and 15 postcodes, with audiences broadening out as the year developed. Nick believes that the venue itself, the quality of the venue and it's fine facilities, coupled with the location of the venue at DCU, the positive associations with DCU and the confidence and pride implicit in that association, contributed enormously to making The Helix the success it was in it's first year out.

In the second year Nick intends to develop the venue's association with popular television broadcasting. He has programmed a second orchestral concert season which he stresses will again showcase the quality of the Mahony Hall which really comes alive with a full orchestral ensemble. The Theatre will host an evening in October with the poet and cultural commentator Benjamin Zephaniah and in November the Opera Theatre Company presents Cinderella. The Space with Marie-Louise O'Donnell's artistic programming has developed into a uniquely interesting cabaret and contemporary drama venue. There is a growing children's performance programme, The Helix being a safe largely pedestrianised venue apt for a children's audience. The Gallery among other exhibitions will show in September the work of Pennie Smith in London Calling and in December the work of Canadian photojournalist Doug MacLellan in Hope in the Shadows. And this year The Helix is hosting four different events from the Dublin Fringe Festival, watch out for the 30ft pink pig in the foyer.

In the future Nick plans to develop a restaurant service to complete the offering of the great venue he directs, he appreciates the response to date to the corporate sponsorship scheme and this he intends to continue to develop, and he is applying to the Arts Council for financial support in order to maintain the broadest possible programming spectrum. The Helix, as Nick says, is a venue for everyone.

Nick Reed has settled into the community of The Helix and the community of DCU. Nick's family came from the UK to join him in Dublin last September, in time for the start of the school year, and Nick tells me that they are all by now well settled and living in Ratoath. Nick's wife Carole teaches school in Ballymun and Carole and Nick have a daughter at national school and a son just starting secondary school. I know that we all at DCU wish Nick and the team at The Helix every success for the forth-coming year and for the future.