United Players of Vancouver has had to cancel its production of An Enemy of the People due to sudden but necessary structural repairs to the historic Jericho Arts Centre.

The troupe is one of three resident companies at the 135-seat beachside venue, which is leased from the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. 

Because insurance won't cover the cancellation due to the repairs, the nonprofit troupe is on the hook for all the costs leading up to the show.

"It's an old building, and basically the floor was sloping downward and had to be fixed now," spokesperson Joan Bryant told the Straight today, adding the news came out of the blue at Christmastime. "There were furious happenings over the next few days and we tried to see if we could open late. When that wouldn't work, we then looked, frantic, to open somewhere else. We really tried right down to the wire."

An Enemy of the People was to run January 24 to February 16. Because it had projections and was to be staged in a black-box format where the audience mingled with the actors, it could not move to a traditional proscenium theatre and a suitable alternate venue could not be found, she reports.

On the positive side, the company has been told the repairs should be completed by January 26, and it is planning to go ahead with its spring show, the farce A Flea in Her Ear, March 27 to April 19.

The company, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary season, is a volunteer organization, but there are still big costs involved with mounting a production, Bryans points out. "The director was working, some people have to be paid, and props were bought," she said.

In compensation for the show, the company is offering season-ticket holders three options: a free ticket to any of this season's upcoming shows, a reduction in price for next year's season tickets (paying for four shows instead of five), or the possibility of donating the cost of the ticket for a 2019 tax receipt.

She points out there's also a donation button on the United Players site for those who would like to help out.