Curtains set to close for TheatreOne

As it is sad for any community to lose a piece of its arts and culture scene, Pike said the closure of TheatreOne highlights the importance of live theatre.  (Jesse Woodward/CHLY 101.7FM)

After 40 years of bringing professional theatre to the local stage, Nanaimo’s TheatreOne is closing its stage curtains forever.

This summer, after a loss in important grant funding, TheatreOne realized it had to do a do-or-die fundraising campaign to save its 41st season.

After a several-week-long fundraising attempt to secure the $20,000 that was lost due to the lack of grant funding, TheatreOne realized it did not have enough funds committed to stay viable.

On Tuesday, October 14, members of the TheatreOne society and members of the broader Nanaimo community came together to recognize the dedication and hard work of TheatreOne staff and volunteers since its founding in 1984. But as they celebrated good memories, they also saw the writing on the wall.

CHLY attended the Tuesday meeting at the downtown Harbourfront Library.

In a room full of teary eyes, the members of the TheatreOne Performance Society voted in favour of dissolving the society, ending TheatreOne.

Board president Graham Pike spoke with CHLY following the meeting.

After being on the board for six years, he said he is sad to see TheatreOne come to an end.

“I've seen a lot of successes, some great shows that we've put on,” he said. “I think we've contributed a lot to the culture of the community over the last 40 years, and it's always sad to see an organization fold.”

As it is sad for any community to lose a piece of its arts and culture scene, Pike said the closure of TheatreOne highlights the importance of live theatre.

“In a sense, it's getting more important, particularly for young people,” he said. “We're concerned about the amount of time that young people spend in front of screens these days, and live performance is a way of getting them out into a show and seeing the difference between something on the screen and something on the stage.”

Pike shared that some of his favourite memories with TheatreOne were attending the children's productions, where he could witness kids experiencing the magic of theatre for the first time.

“I really enjoy going to the kids' performances. Just to see a theatre full of really engaged, happy, screaming kids who want to be part of the process, who put up their hands when they invite volunteers onto the stage, there's normally half the audience who put up their hands,” Pike said. “So that's really exciting to see young people getting really, really engaged with live performance.”

Pike said while the curtains may be closing on TheatreOne, he hopes other groups will continue the tradition of bringing live professional theatre to Nanaimo.

For those curious about other theatre groups in Nanaimo, check out Western Edge Theatre, Artists Collective Theatre, Nanaimo Theatre Group, and Reconciliation Theatre. 

Funding Note: This story was produced with funding support from the Local Journalism Initiative, administered by the Community Radio Fund of Canada.