Asked to decide between two options for the future of the Centre in the Square, Kitchener councillors picked the one calling for more collaboration with the local arts community, and less emphasis on turning a profit.
The decision came Monday afternoon, after several hours of discussion.
Prior to that, an outside consultant had surveyed dozens of members of the arts community for their thoughts on what programming CITS should offer.
A public survey resulted in 8,000 responses – the majority of which came from outside Kitchener.
“That, as a response rate, is exceptionally high,” said cultural consultant Richard Mortimer.
After all that, councillors were asked to make a choice of one of two potential options.
Both were similar, with CITS continuing to provide what Mortimer termed “a broad range of programming.”
The difference was that one would see Centre in the Square focus more on big-name, big-ticket acts – likely meaning the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony would have to move many of its dates to less profitable nights earlier in the week.
“By not having the prime weekends, we’ve been unable to book the bigger shows,” Centre in the Square board chair Bruce Gordon told CTV News.
Councillors opted for the other scenario, which will likely still see the symphony move some of its dates.
“There’s going to have to be some compromises,” Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said.
Gordon said he was happy to see a decision reached.
“Things have been unclear for so long that a decision, one way or the other, provides clarity,” he said.
A more thorough report of how Centre in the Square could adopt the new programming model is expected by the end of June.
