Behind the scenes at the revamped Barbican in York

SIX years of darkness end as a pink spotlight shines on a solitary figure. One two, one two he mumbles into a microphone. Approving gestures from the mixing desk suggest the sound levels are fine and that means a back breaking afternoon’s work is done.

The auditorium begins to fill, both bars are doing a roaring trade and there is a buzz of expectation to match the humming amplifiers.

It’s show time again at York Barbican, after half a decade in the musical wilderness.

Tonight it is Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but future events range from Morrissey and Gary Numan to the UK Snooker.

This used to be a familiar scene, but then the bands stopped coming, roadies set up stage elsewhere and the Barbican fell dark and silent; another forlorn icon to rival the decaying Bonding Warehouse.

But the big name acts are back and again York has a venue to compete with the rest of the country. The first shows were announced in December, a £2 million refurbishment began in February and by March new staff were being recruited.

Al Scaife remembers getting a phone call in May. “They were looking for stage technicians and I was asked if I fancied having a chat,” he says. “Well that was it really; I sort of drifted into the job.

“It’s brilliant to see the Barbican back, there’s no other venue of this size in York and it’s a much needed boost to the city. Now we can start attracting some of the larger acts again.”

At the moment, Al is working casual hours. He’s one of eight stage crew whose job is to set up the amplifiers, PA and lighting rig.

Their boss is Drew Hunter, who says he almost took it personally when the Barbican closed. Drew began working as a lighting technician in 1997 and says he put his heart and soul into the place to give it a solid reputation in the business.

Now he’s doing it again.

Drew is supposed to advise clients on the sort of equipment they will need, health and safety and so on, but staffing levels are not complete yet, so for now he can still be found fixing broken bulbs or setting up the lighting desk.

And you get the impression that’s where he is happiest.

“I’m loving every second of it, the last couple of weeks have been quite frantic and I’ve started to forget what my bed looks like,” he says. “But we’re getting there. We’ve taken what was essentially a tired old building and turned it into a venue people want to come to.”

The first concert was a bit fraught and despite knowing the place like the back of his hand, Drew admits it was like starting from scratch. Furniture was still arriving while the crew set up the stage and the PA hadn’t been used in anger for years.

“There was quite a lot of running around behind the scenes, but the guys are getting used to the building now and I presume it will ease off a little bit when we get more staff. But for now anything technical and I’m hands on.”

It’s not just the sound system that had a few hiccups along the way. Councillors squabbled – as they do – some claiming to be the Barbican’s true saviour, and the project nearly stalled a couple of times.

But the accolades belong to SMG, the leading entertainment venue operator, which has resurrected the building and now promises everything from rock concerts and classical music performances to snooker.

Fiona Burn has only been in post for a couple of weeks as general manager, but she already has great plans. “We’ve had a soft opening to eke out the teething troubles and at the moment we’re working hard to establish a reputation for quality and to build relationships,” says Fiona. “It is important for artists to enjoy coming here and to know they will get a good reception.

“That’s what will make them come back.”

By August, Fiona will know how well things are going. The finishing touches will have been made, a new digital PA installed, and more staff trained. She plans to stage at least 200 events a year and with a glint in her eye, tells me not to dismiss the idea of Take That. You get the impression she’s not joking.

Among the events definitely happening will be a John Barry memorial concert in the autumn, the Lord Mayor’s carol concert and big name comedy turns looking to warm up their acts before taking them on the road. The Guildhall Orchestra will also take up residence again and of course Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without HUGE’S annual bash.

Then there is that snooker. We’ve already seen Ronnie O’ Sullivan, Jimmy White et al at the Legends exhibition and one of the centre’s biggest coups has been to land the UK snooker championships once more.

But the revamped Barbican is not only about music, comedy and snooker. In November, the Royal British Legion will stage its annual Festival of Remembrance here after an absence of three years and programming manager Claire Darcy says it’s great news.

“When I met the organisers I could tell they were very excited to see the Barbican open again. I’ve been working with Ted Griffiths for the last couple of weeks and we are delighted to have them back.”

Claire has a wealth of experience in booking star turns. She started here in March and she says getting premium acts is all about reputation, contacts and trusting the building’s operators.

Just ask big guns like Morrissey, Beverley Knight and Pete Doherty who have all confirmed.

And you might even find yourself sitting next to a star name. Vanessa Veysey, who works at the box office, says Damien Hirst was in the other day. “He came to collect his guest pass and when I asked his name, he whispered Damien,” she says. “I’m afraid I didn’t recognise him at all.”

• York Barbican is owned by City of York Council and managed by SMG (UK) Ltd, one of the world’s largest international venue operators. It is the latest addition to SMG’s expanding portfolio, which also includes The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and the Journal Tyne Theatre in Newcastle.

The Barbican will offer a programme of events to take advantage of the venue’s 1,500 seated and 1,900 standing capacities and a key element of the revamp is a restaurant in the former gym. It has two kitchens, one to cater for pre show diners, the other for conference catering. In all 1450 delegates can be accommodated, which makes the Barbican York’s second biggest conference centre.

The Barbican employs the full time equivalent of more than 60 staff.

• Tickets for the UK Championship, which returns to the Barbican Centre from December 3 to 11, go on sale on July 15. For details, log on to worldsnooker.com Box office: 0844 854 2757.