Registry Theatre - Update (February 14, 2000) City Council approved last night (February 14, 2000) an interest-free loan to J.M. Drama of $224,000. This loan completes the capital financing package that is necessary for J.M. Drama to proceed with its plans for the adaptive re-use of the Registry building. J.M. Drama will lease the Registry building from the City and operate it as a community performing arts centre. This approach provides a unique model for the development of "community infrastructure" by a community organization with strong support from the municipal government. It benefits the whole community and it will provide a "home" to community performing arts groups. The Registry Theatre will permit the development of partnerships within the community - a partnership between the City and J.M. Drama to provide arts and culture infrastructure, and partnerships within the arts and culture community that will "build" our community. The Registry Theatre will cost approximately $314,000 for renovations and upgrades and $75,000 in theatre equipment (lighting, sound, stage, curtains, seating, risers and so forth). The City is, as landlord, contributing $90,000 towards the Registry Theatre project. If the City were to lease the building to somebody else (including othe community groups or the private sector), it would have been expected to provide a similar contribution to bring the building up to modern standards for electrical service, ventilation, plumbing, washrooms and disabled access. The Walter Fedy Partnership, our architects and engineers, are putting the final touches to the design concept and will start on the working drawings in March. We anticipate that the construction will be tendered in May 2000 and that construction will be begin in June 2000. It is expected that construction will be completed in late summer or early autumn, depending upon availability of construction supplies and labour. Already there are over 100 days of occupancy booked for the theatre - and that is before we have publicly solicited bookings. The theatre will have an audience capacity of about 180. The theatre will be flexible, permitting different configurations of stage and audience areas. There will also be a rehearsal hall in the basement, which can be used for dressing rooms or a smaller performance space for workshops and productions. Our operating budget will be approximately $16,500 per year, with a break-even point of 100 days of occupancy. Although final operating plans have not been completed, we expect rental rates to be approximately $125 per day plus clean-up expenses. At this rate, the rentals are very affordable - about 1/4 to 1/3 of "market rate" in other facilities. In addition to the rental of the theatre, we will also have revenues from rental of the rehearsal hall to groups and from ancillary services. The Registry Theatre will provide a unique opportunity for J.M. Drama to expand its operations and, more importantly for the broader community. The Registry Theatre will help meet the needs of our growing arts and culture community and its audiences. It will also be part of downtown revitalization bringing residents and tourists into the downtown. City Council's strong support for this initiative has been essential and J.M. Drama thanks Council and staff for this support. If you have any questions, please call Don Bourgeois, President at 519.893.1564
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