Calgary Journal Online

Halted expansion plans set to move ahead for Calgary Theatre

Calgary's high population has paved the way for a higher level of interest from theatre companies hoping to perform shows at the Pumphouse Theatre.

The Forte Musical Theatre Guild of Calgary has been on the waiting list for a space at the Pumphouse for two years, according to business manager Neal Halstead.

“Because it’s so full, you pretty much have to wait until a theatre company drops out,” Halstead said. “I think the next time we can get in is January 2011, because someone has cancelled.”

Halstead said that the 370-seat historical theatre is a desirable venue for production companies because of their subsidized rent costs.

An indoor view of the 300-seat Victor Mitchell Theatre, scheduled for renovations as part of the Pumphouse 2012 expansion project. Part of the set for Liffey Players Drama Society's "The Lonesome West" can be seen on stage for the March 2 to 6 production.

Photo: Samantha Thiessen/Calgary Journal

“This allows smaller companies like ours to be able to afford to do productions, try out new things, try out new shows, and bring works that would otherwise not be producible in the city,” Halstead said.

According to Halstead, other theatres in the downtown area are much more expensive comparatively, with some charging up to $350 per night. To perform in the Pumphouse is approximately $900 per week. Inadequate theatre space in Calgary is also an issue for production companies, Halstead said.

“I think larger companies could definitely go to a theatre space larger than the 60 seats that they’re usually in because they’ve developed a huge audience base over the years,” Halstead said. “They’re currently taking up a space like a 250-seat theatre, when they could go to a 600-seat theatre and allow other companies to expand.”

Space is not the only issue currently facing the theatre, according to executive director Scott McTavish. The 98-year-old structure known as the Pumphouse Theatre in Calgary has long exceeded an average building’s 40-year lifespan, he said.

The Pumphouse Theatre was originally built as the City of Calgary’s No. 2 water pumping station in 1912, and was adapted in 1972 into a rehearsal space called The Shed Theatre.

McTavish said the building has undergone numerous renovations over the years and some of the segments of the building are approaching 40 years old, while others remain standing from almost 100 years ago.

Original expansion plans proposed in 2008 included the construction of a 600-seat theatre but the building costs were estimated at $10 million, which comprised half of the original proposed $20-million expansion budget.  At the time, $4 million was committed by City of Calgary, $5 million was requested from the provincial government, $5 million was requested from federal government and Pumphouse was prepared to fundraise $6 million on its own.

McTavish said that after the 2008 economic recession, both the provincial and federal governments did not provide the combined $10 million in expansion funding.

“Ultimately, with projects like this, it’s always nice that you have all three levels of government, as well as the not for profit involved in it. But sometimes that isn’t the case,” McTavish said. “Sometimes you just have to look at what’s economically feasible to achieve.”

“We circled back with our own organization, the city and the federal government and sort of said, ‘Well, what can we do?’”

On Feb. 24, the Pumphouse Theatre Society announced the architects that won the bid on the Pumphouse 2012 expansion project. The society partnered with Calgary firm Marshall Tittemore Architects to move ahead in a phased expansion project, despite lacking half of the original proposed budget.

Currently, McTavish is planning on moving forward with Phase 1 of the $10-million expansion, which will include renovations to the two existing theatres, the Joyce Doolittle Theatre and the Victor Mitchell Theatre; a new 150-seat black box theatre; rehearsal halls; business centre for the use of non-profit organizations; and an extended lobby and food services. He said the only thing missing from original project plans is the 600-seat theatre.

McTavish said the Pumphouse Theatre Society hopes the City of Calgary will commit $4 million to the Pumphouse 2012 project, and he is in the early stages of requesting $3 million from the federal government. McTavish also said the Pumphouse intends to fundraise $3 million through an external campaign set to launch this summer.

According to the Pumphouse 2012 website, the Pumphouse Theatre Society conducted surveys with community members and hosted theatre companies in 2005. Ninety percent of those surveyed indicated an urgent need for additional theatre facilities.

“We took a look at what those areas are that will need to be addressed and ensure that we address them, so that Calgarians can continue to use this facility and view it as the best theatre in town,” McTavish said.

Tom Tittemore, principle architect of the current Pumphouse 2012 expansion project, said there’s a strong demand by Calgarians for theatres like the Pumphouse.

“The theatre has to be affordable and accessible," Tittemore said. "It has to be a facility that is young enough, but that up-and-coming theatre groups can afford to take part in. It has to be accessible to their people and accessible to the public.”

Tittemore added: “It’s the leading edge of theatre in Calgary. There’s a very strong demand by Calgarians for a theatre that serves this piece of the theatre market. Currently, the theatre just isn’t big enough. The city is over 1 million people now, and when they did their original addition, the city was probably half as large.”

Tittemore said there were 12 to 15 other firms who were interested in expanding the Pumphouse, but that Marshall Tittemore Architects maintain a strong reasoning behind their decision to work on the project.

He said the Pumphouse should be regarded as an asset by the City of Calgary, and it is in the city’s best interest to reinvest in upgrades to the building.

“The city’s doubled in size, the building is still the same size as it was 30-40 years ago,” Tittemore said. “So you can just imagine that there is an increased demand on the building to grow and cater to the needs of Calgarians.”

Tittemore said that despite being unable to go ahead with the original project goals, Marshall Tittemore Architects firm plans to undertake all the other additions and upgrades to the theatre house.

“I think that when (the Pumphouse) originally lost the funding, it was certainly disappointing to them," Tittemore said. "But they know that for $10 million, they can certainly add a substantial amount to the building. They’re being very strong and committed to going ahead with the project despite the fact that it’s about half the scale they would like.”

The Pumphouse Theatre Society and Marshall Tittemore Architects hope to have the first phase of the expansion completed close to the theatre’s centennial anniversary in 2012.

For more information about the Pumphouse 2012 expansion project, visit their website.