Interested in saving Massey Theatre? Attend Tuesday's meeting
Lovers of arts and culture will soon have a chance to have their say about the future of the1,260-seat Massey Theatre. It's the largest proscenium theatre in the region outside of Vancouver city limits.
It's also home to the Royal City Musical Theatre, the Royal City Youth Ballet, and the New Westminster Symphony. The facility is also used by educational, community, and professional groups.
On Tuesday (December 8), the New Westminster school district will host a workshop to "present issues relating to capital projects and the location of the new secondary school".
It's at Century House, Douglas Fir Room, 620 Eighth Street, New Westminster. For information, call the school board office at 604-517-6240.
You can confirm your appearance by e-mailing capitalprojects@sd40.bc.ca.
The Straight has previously reported that the school board might demolish the Massey Theatre to make room for a replacement for New Westminster secondary school, which sits atop the unmarked graves of early residents, including many Chinese pioneers.
A Save Massey Theatre Facebook group has pointed out that no functioning theatre has ever been intentionally demolished in Canadian history.
Nearby Mercer Stadium and a skate park are on city-owned land in the same block. New Westminster mayor Wayne Wright told the Straight earlier this year that he wasn't interested in swapping sites with the school board so that the theatre could become a civic entity.
Wright cited a consulting report for the school board, prepared by Atelier Pacific Architects, which claimed that it would cost $18.2 million to upgrade the theatre. The Massey Theatre Society, which operates the building, had no input into the the school board's report and questions the cost estimates, as well as the extent of the work that the consultants claim is necessary.
"We need to lay to rest any sort of belief that it's not a safe and functional and viable theatre," Massey Theatre Society executive director Jessica Schneider told the Georgia Straight on October 1. "It absolutely is. It's unique in the region. It has huge potential and it has been mired in these issues forever."
At the November 9 New Westminster council meeting, 25 speakers urged the municipal representatives to save the Massey Theatre. Summaries of their comments are available in the minutes of the meeting. Wright was absent.
Related information:
New Westminster's Massey Theatre faces uncertain future
Coun. Lorrie Williams says she will seek a solution for Massey Theatre
New West Coun. Bill Harper won't promise Massey Theatre will be saved
Jane Popowich: Save Massey Theatre for the sake of the students
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