Low Cost Theatres That are Expensive to Operate
Central Standard Time (CST): August 16, 2024, 9:00 - 10:30 AM
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All hours are Central Standard Time (CST) |
Low Cost Theatres That are Expensive to OperatePanel discussion |
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Canadians are particularly penury when it comes to paying for performing arts infrastructure. Venues are often built at a fraction of the cost of similar buildings in Europe or the U.S. Unfortunately, the money saved on the capitol cost of a new building can get transferred into higher operating costs for a very long time. Often, the lifetime of the building. Some jurisdictions, notably in the UK, now require a “go-between” consultant to be hired when a new theatre is being designed. A consultant who is more familiar with the challenges faced in the day-to-day operation of a theatre. This happens occasionally in Canada, on an ad hoc basis. Notably on the Vancouver Civic Theatres renovations and the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. But these are exceptions rather than the rule. Is there room for the “go-between” consultant in Canada? And where can design ingenuity help to reduce operating costs? This panel, similar to Rendez-vous 2023's discussion on Studio Theatres (more info), seeks to promote the conversation between the designers of new theatres and the people who have to operate them on a daily basis. The hope is to reduce the impact of capital cost savings on operating expense budgets. |
| Date, Time & Location: Friday August 16 | 9:00 to 10:30 | Persephone Theatre - Rehearsal Hall B |
| Duration: 90 mins |
| Level: General (for all) |
| Discipline: Architecture; Automation; Design; Front of House; Health & Safety; Human Resources; Lighting; Management; On Deck; Rigging. |
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Panelists: John O'Keefe, Julian Sleath, Rick Schick, and Craig Langlois. John O’Keefe has been responsible for the acoustic design of many of Canada’s favourite performing arts venues. His work spans the country, from the Queen Elizabeth Theatre renovation in Vancouver, the Esplanade Arts Centre in Medicine Hat, Theatre Aquarius in Hamilton, all the way to the Confederation Centre renovation in Charlottetown, PEI. Julian Sleath is the former Technical Director of Scottish Opera and the Canadian Opera Company. For both of those companies he was a client representative on new buildings. Here in Toronto, he designed and built a 72 seat theatre for young people in Wychwood Barns. He co- wrote the lighting and rigging specification for Koerner Hall and during the pandemic crawled around the roof spaces of the Massey Hall refurbishment. Richard has been the principal of the Theatre Consulting firm Schick Shiner and Associates (www.schickshiner.com) for the last 34 years completing over 300 from Ucluelet, BC to Kuwait City. The firm undertakes general facility design consulting as well and operations/management. He was General Manager of the Citadel Theatre, Producer/General Manager of the Richmond Gateway Theatre and the Production Manager of the Citadel Theatre. Craig Langlois is the Head Theatre technician at The E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts in Prince Albert Saskatchewan. He Graduated from Grant MacEwan University in 2012 and has been working there since. Craig is also the Vice Chair of the CITT Prairie Section. He is a Lighting Technician who dabbles in sound. |
