A big construction project being planned by the Stratford Festival could have repercussions for some of the city’s most popular programming for seniors.
The festival plans to tear down the Tom Patterson Theatre and build a new venue on that space.
The theatre, a converted curling rink, is said to be at the end of its useful life. Anita Gaffney, the festival’s executive director, says the building is unable to take on additional lighting and infrastructure.
“It’s a very delicate structure,” she said in an interview.
Artistic director Antoni Cimolino calls the Tom Patterson Theatre “critically important” to the festival. While not the biggest of the festival’s venues, it often hosts plays and performances that are rarely seen in similar settings.
“We want to make sure that we can retain its intimacy, make it comfortable (and) make it support our artists,” he said.
“I think we can make something really exciting happen here.”
The same building is used as the Kiwanis Community Centre, which plays host to recreational programs for hundreds of Stratford seniors through the Lakeside Active Adults Association.
Any demolition of the theatre would also affect the community centre – and at this point, no alternate arrangements have been made for that programming.
Many seniors who were using the community centre on Tuesday seemed upset about the possibility of having to leave the building behind.
“They’re going to take it down on us, and that’s terrible as far as I’m concerned,” said Harry Brightwell.
Other seniors voiced concerns about not wanting to travel across town to get to a different site.
“The seniors are used to this place,” said Dave Logan.
On Monday, at the festival’s opening night, the province announced that it would put $20 million toward the project.
Cimolino says the festival is hoping the federal government will kick in the same amount, which will leave a further $20 million to be raised from private donors.
In addition, because the land in question is owned by the city, the project still needs to get the seal of approval from city council.
Rob Horne, the city’s chief administrative officer, says that will only happen if a plan can be developed to move the programming for seniors.
“The need to accommodate other people who benefit from the site has to be part of the conversation,” he said, noting that the Lakeside group is seeing its membership grow and expecting further growth.
Long-term, the solution may lie in the redevelopment of the Cooper site, which is slated to become a community hub space. The plans for that property could also involve a new facility for the Stratford Perth YMCA and a student life centre for the city’s University of Waterloo campus.
If everything comes together in the next few months, demolition work would start after the current Stratford Festival season ends – allowing the new facility to be open by 2019.
With reporting by Stu Gooden
