A Telus solution to Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company's money woes?

by Stephen Hui on Mar 9, 2012 at 5:09 pm
$40 million would go a long way in the arts world.

Far be it from me to suggest corporate sponsorship as the solution to, well, anything worth caring about. But it seems a certain corporate giant has $40 million sitting in a name-sponsorship fund somewhere after the B.C. Place debacle.

Let's just imagine for one moment Telus plunking $2 million a year into the Vancouver—I mean, Telus—Playhouse Theatre Company over 20 years.

Vancouver probably would have a brand-new Telus Playhouse sitting next to the QE, and theatre goers with Telus cellphone contracts would get their pick of seats. Then there'd be those giant electronic billboards outside the theatre. Erm, you get the picture.

But then, at least Hunchback wouldn't be the last the city saw of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company.

(Telus: My coworker Miranda and I will settle for a one-percent naming consultant's fee.)

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Comments (7) Add New Comment
Bill W
Mar 9, 2012 at 5:45 pm
"If you want more people to come to the theatre, don't put the prices at £50. You have to make theatre inclusive, and at the moment the prices are exclusive. Putting TV stars in plays just to get people in is wrong. You have to have the right people in the right parts. Stunt casting and being gimmicky does the theatre a great disservice. You have to lure people by getting them excited about a theatrical experience." ~ Catherine Tate
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Bruce
Mar 9, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Pardon me while I laugh and clutch my sides. Telus wanted to put its name on a SPORTS venue - like most Canadian companies, it has no interest in the arts. Frankly, that's all this city seems to be good for. Maybe Telus should sponsor an annual downtown riot. (But I'm not bitter.)
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Hazlit
Mar 9, 2012 at 10:41 pm
I like the idea Stephen, but in the interests of true justice how about that $40 million comes anonymously. "Because we like the arts!" You can keep the naming fee, but how about endowing a fund for young journalists?
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Stephen Hui
Mar 10, 2012 at 9:02 am
@Hazlit:

I can't speak for Miranda, but I'll happily pledge my half of our imaginary fee toward a scholarship for student journalists.
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scathie
Mar 10, 2012 at 9:46 am
You know what? That's a hellofa good idea.
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Yum
Mar 11, 2012 at 11:38 am
I love it when people complain about the cost of a ticket to the theatre then turn around and spend $100-$300 (Canadian dollars) for a concert or hockey games at Rodgers Arena.
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Err
Mar 12, 2012 at 4:12 pm
Bruce - maybe you haven't heard about the Telus studio theatre at UBC? Or the Telus Centre for Performance in Toronto?
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