Vancouver civic theatre rental rates set to increase

by Jessica Werb on May 24, 2012 at 1:55 pm
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Vancouver city council is preparing to raise civic theatre rental rates this fall, but theatre rental grant allocations will not be raised accordingly.

A city staff report is recommending a two percent increase in rental rates for all civic venues apart from the Orpheum Annex.

The changes would see the Orpheum and the Queen Elizabeth Theatre’s flat rate rise to 12,240 per evening from $12,000; and the Playhouse’s flat evening rate would rise to $3,230 from $3,170. The report notes that the proposed flat rates for the QET and Playhouse—which work out to $4.40 per seat and $4.55 per seat respectively—are within range of the average comparable rental rate of $4.56 per seat. Commercial rates for the venues range from $2.90 to $5.61 at the QET and $3.00 to $5.80 at the Orpheum.

Because the Orpheum Annex is in its first year of operations, staff recommend maintaining its existing flat rate of $5.18 per seat—a rate that includes the costs of one technician and two front of house staff.

The report states that the new rates would result in an increase in gross revenues of about $31,000 based on current bookings from September 1 to December 31.

Still, the increase is not out of line with inflation—according to the report, CPI (consumer price index) inflation is currently at 1.9 percent. And the rate of increase is half what it was last year, when rates went up by four percent.

Comments (4) Add New Comment
Mozart
May 24, 2012 at 3:45 pm
As an instructional music teacher I haven't received a raise in 6 years. Inflation is not always relevant to the arts world.
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Trank
May 25, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Those venues sit there almost empty all year around, not to mention the now hollow Playhouse. Maybe they should lower their rates to attract smaller shows instead of sponging off the current rent payers.
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Hazlit
May 26, 2012 at 9:34 am
While it may not be reasonable to fully fund arts organizations without expecting any revenue in return, market rates for arts organizations--particularly ones that may not be "popular" is equally unreasonable.
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out at night
May 28, 2012 at 7:32 am
Uh, lowering rates is fine, except for the nagging reality that there are bills to be paid and union staff earning plenty of dough. It is simply not true that the Civic venues are "almost empty all year round". In fact, they are quite busy during the regular season (Sept.-June) with all manner of shows, including opera, symphony concerts, ballet, chamber music, recitals, bhangra, choral, pop, rock, stand-up, jazz, modern dance, speakers, musicals, and other miscellany. They are premium venues, providing top-quality, professional service and facilities at every level, and that comes at a price. It is a price that some can afford and some can't. Maybe some folks need to get their heads out of the idea that anything associated with the arts is by definition cash-strapped and needs to be cut a deal. That definition may fit many arts groups, but there are lots of success stories and there are lots and lots of shows that play at Civic Theatres and turn a handsome profit. It's hard work putting all those butts in seats, but it happens with some regularity.
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