The OV Arts Centre is hosting two Open House events for anyone to drop by and learn about the space, offering guided tours of the centre. (Luis Zablah / CHLY 101.7 FM)

The Old Victoria (OV) Arts Centre is set for renovations as the local venue works towards a new chapter with the help of The Nanaimo Performing Arts Guild (NPAG).

The OV Arts Centre, is a city owned, bookable venue that can be used for a plethora of activities such as theatre, dance, music, as well as community gatherings, workshops and photo and video shoots.

Previously known as the Harbour City Theatre, the venue underwent its first major transformation in June 2021, rebranding as the OV Arts Centre. The Nanaimo Performing Arts Guild is a volunteer advisory group that is tasked with advising the centre and its staff on how to maintain, operate, and improve the venue for the community.

CHLY spoke with The Guild’s Chairperson, Wendy Wearne on the history behind The Guild and its contribution to the OV.

“We're all volunteers, we're all artists of different genres,” said Wearne. “There was an application process, and the current guild was selected by council.”

The Guild members serve two year terms, after which they can re-apply.

The venue already has an accessible ground floor with a raised stage, flexible seating, lighting, sound provision, a lobby with a box office, a concession stand, a greenroom and a basement rehearsal space.

Now, the theatre is getting ready for a glow up with new interior renovations with the help of The Guild. The OV Arts Centre is hosting two Open House events for anyone to drop by and learn about the space, offering guided tours of the centre.

CHLY dropped by an Open House held on Wednesday, May 27 to talk with Wearne on the renovations coming to the Arts Centre.

Wendy Wearne (Left) and Justin McFadden (Right) headline the OV’s Open House, welcoming anyone interested in the venue. (Luis Zablah / CHLY 101.7 FM)

“Flooring, paint, and chairs and risers, so refit, refresh, refit. There'll be some lighting that changes, like cosmetic lighting.”

Wearne says the refit will help make the space suitable for more types of events.

“We're moving towards a black box design, as opposed to a proscenium presentation. Right now, what you see in the theater is a stage with seats in front of it. We can move the seats a little bit, but they're clunky and hard, and to move it's what you see, for example, in The Port as well. There's a stage in front, and people sit and watch what's going on,” said Wearne.

The Guild has been providing support to the Arts Centre in downtown for the last year. The group became more hands-on back in September of last year, when the Nanaimo City Council officially voted to allow the group to become a Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee.

The City’s involvement has allowed The Guild and the OV to slowly but surely rebuild and work towards becoming the venue they’ve envisioned since the beginning. Wearne explained how The Guild works closely with the City of Nanaimo, who help facilitate meetings, manage paperwork, and coordinate communication across departments. She described The Guild as advisory, driven by advocacy and passion.

She dove into the work being done behind the scenes by The Guild on the whole organization for the upcoming renovations for the Arts Centre.

“We've just been advising as to the direction that we think the theatrical community and artistic community in general would like the building to go, and so we act as the conduit for those decisions for the city,” said Wearne.

The entire interior of the venue is being freshly painted and a high quality floor is being installed, with the help from Interface, a major sustainable flooring company from the Nanaimo region, who donated the necessary materials. Wearne says the business is affiliated with Guild members, and the donation allows the group to focus their finances on other needed changes.

The renovations are just the beginning of planned support for the Arts Centre, as The Guild seeks to increase public use of the venue while also aligning with the City’s cultural and strategic goals. The OV’s renovations aren't stopping with cosmetic changes like flooring and painting, but also include a well needed equipment update.

CHLY spoke with Justin McFadden, the Arts Centre’s Venue Technician and Site Liaison on the upcoming equipment improvements.

Local Nanaimo Accordion Band performs during the OV Arts Centre’s May 27 Open House, rehearsing in front of a public audience. (Luis Zablah / CHLY 101.7 FM)

“A lot of the theatrical lights that are here are very old, and especially the dimming system that we use to control them are very old,” said McFadden. “We are hoping to see full LED retrofits of our existing fixtures, they'll be cleaned up, taken apart, and put back together, with new lamps installed for brighter and color controlled lighting, which is huge for a space like this.”

The OV’s makeover was advocated for by both The Guild and OV staff, as many aspects of the venue were outdated and limiting for productions and community use. McFadden, explained that the centre’s previous lighting system offered limited colour control and required manual adjustments during performances. The upcoming LED upgrades will allow lighting changes to be programmed directly through the control board, improving both efficiency and creative flexibility for future productions.

Wearne expressed her excitement on the possibilities the newly renovated space can hold for the community.

“So, the OV needs to be a playground for artists of all genres,” said Wearne. “It can be a dance area, it can be a celebration where there's just yoga mats or beanbag chairs that people can sit on if that's their choice. It just becomes a more flexible space for everybody to use, so it's a better playground to play in.”

The group has outlined a work plan for the next ten years, with the goal of simplifying the booking process and making it easier to contact the venue. The plan is to improve the OV Arts Centre and transform it into an accessible events space for the community to book and use.

The Guild will host a second drop in Open House next month on June 25 from 2 - 6 P.M.

More information is available on the City of Nanaimo’s official website.

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