Performance centre advocate Bruce Owen is looking to the City of Barrie to help him create a business plan that would include strategies on how to fill an 1,800-seat theatre.
At Tuesday’s Development Services Committee meeting, Owen asked the city to commit to helping him go forward, to lobby the provincial and federal governments for cash, to commit to a theatre with at least 1,800 seats, and to help him find a site and create a business plan.
The issue will go to council’s General Committee meeting Monday.
“No other level of government will look at us until we have a business plan – but we’ll have to have a site (to create a business plan). We need a commitment on size, site, fundraising, a council appointment (to the board of the Greater Barrie Centre for the Performing Arts) and business plan. Without those, we can’t be regarded as credible,” Owen told the council committee.
Owen, who has long argued for a 1,200-seat theatre, increased its size to “at least 1,800 seats”, because “the more seats you have to sell, the more bucks you have to afford star musicians.”
Bringing in the big acts is key to making Barrie a regional arts “mecca”, he said; he brought along representatives from a variety of cultural organizations, including the Huronia Symphony, the Barrie Concert Association, the Colours of Music and the Barrie Music Festival who all support his quest for a theatre more than double the size of several just or being built in Ontario.
Owen estimated an 1,800-seat theatre would cost $30 million to build, but Coun. Barry Ward suggested that figure – which came out of a Superbuild application at least five years ago – is likely out of date.
Owen criticized the city’s plan to convert an old downtown bank building into a small theatre, with approximately 150 seats. Earlier this year, the city spent $1.25 million on the former Scotiabank at Five Points and the neighbouring building, but council has not yet decided on putting a theatre there.
“If you do the retrofits, you’re looking at a couple of million dollars. You’ll end up at $3.25 million for 140 seats. That won’t achieve (anything), or add to the quality of life. Three hundred seats won’t do that either. Doing the best for business, do the best for the community by going with the large theatre,” he told the council committee.
That prompted Barrie’s culture director Quammie Williams to cite the city’s cultural plan, which advocates starting with a small theatre and then building interest and audience.
“The smaller theatre as recommended by the cultural plan so far does not have as much risk (as an 1,800-seat theatre). There also are a number of performing arts groups that are homeless in the community. If the city plans to invest in some way to grow these groups, (a small theatre) has to be considered,” he said.
He added he has not seen evidence that the Barrie and surrounding communities could consistently fill an 1,800-seat theatre.
Owen has not provided that information to either Williams or The Advance, despite requests.
Ward 4 Coun. Barry Ward said he’s not sure city council will support Owen’s request, because of the lack of a business plan that includes specifics about the customer base, the acts that would bring them in and how often the theatre would be filled.
“It’s more of a commitment than council wants to make at this point. I’m not sure if (the committee motion) holds out false hope,” he said in an interview.
“We should be doing a study on what the market is and get a firm grip on the costs. I don’t know if we have any hard evidence supporting the 1,800 seats. We also need (up-to-date) construction and operating costs.”
Elsewhere in Ontario, London is considering studying a performing arts centre – a study that’s expected to cost $70,000, he said.
Burlington is working on an 800-seat theatre – and its costs continue to rise, now over $35 million. Sudbury is considering an 1,800-seat theatre, at a cost of $75 million, Ward noted, and the 800-seat theatre in Brampton cost $51.5 million a couple of years ago.
