Vancouver’s Arts Club Theatre Company and Bard on the Beach are teaming up in a capital campaign to raise $3.3 million to build a new theatre and offices near the Olympic Village, new Arts Club executive director Peter Cathie White told Business in Vancouver October 6.
The 250-seat venue at 162 West 1st Avenue would be in a city-owned building that was originally slated for the now-defunct Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Co.
The Arts Club and Bard then teamed up to win the city’s OK to occupy the 48,000-square-foot space, which is largely a shell.
“There’s space for a purpose-built theatre, which could have different seat configurations,” Cathie White said. “This would replace the [198-seat] Granville Island Review Stage.”
Both Bard and the Arts Club would also be able to move their corporate offices to the new site. There would also be rehearsal space and room for costumes.
“Our desire is to start the 2015/16 season in the new theatre,” said Cathie White, who was officially named his theatre company’s executive director October 6.
White studied theatre in his native Australia and worked at Brisbane-based Flight Centre Travel Group Ltd. (ASX:FLT) in that company’s home city.
He moved to Vancouver in 1996 to be a Flight Centre store manager and soon worked up to be vice-president of marketing for Flight Centre North America, when Vancouver was the company’s headquarters for both Canada and the U.S.
He joined the Arts Club as a sales manager in 2002 and within a year worked up to be the theatre company’s director of sales and marketing.
He oversees a non-profit company that has been breaking even on a $12 million budget, about 60% of which comes from ticket sales.
Cathie White will oversee about 60 full-time and 100 part-time staff.
In addition to the Review Stage, the Arts Club also operates the Granville Island Stage and the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage.
