Regent Theatre upgrades

A generous $10,000 donation from Herb Pliwischikes in memory of his parents, Herb and Margerete, will be used to begin construction of a fully accessible seating terrace at the Regent Theatre. This is the first phase of a longer term plan to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible spaces in the theatre. Currently, the space at the back wall of the theatre on the right and left sides is designated as the accessible seating area. While it has a nominal capacity of seven seats, in practice it is only marginally usable, and the creation of fully accessible seating has been in the works since the Raise the Curtain campaign began in 2020. That campaign fell short of its goal, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with $20,000 designated for accessible seating, well below the estimated $140,000 cost. A further $20,000 was raised through a Jamie Kennedy dinner, and this last donation by Herb and Margerete Pliwischkies will allow the installation of fully accessible spaces in the centre section of the theatre. The sound booth will be moved forward into the fixed seating area, with the benefit of access to a storage area beneath the centre terrace. Construction is expected to start on June 13 and be complete by July 6. During this time the auditorium will be closed, but the rest of the theatre will remain open, including the box office and loft area.

(L-R): Alexandra Seay. general manager of the Regent Theatre, accepts a donation of $10,000 from Herb Pliwischkies.

It is expected that funding will become available for the construction of accessible seating on the left and right sides of the theatre before the end of this year. In total, 26 places will be made available. There will be a slight loss in seating capacity, from 440 to 416, but the new terraces will offer a more flexible use of the space, for example as a cocktail area or even as a dance floor. “This is as much about expanding the number of seats as it is bringing our accessible needs patrons further into the house and more included in the action, so the experience is no longer ‘back row’,” said Alexandra Seay, general manager of the Regent Theatre. “We have enough to cover phase one of the construction on the centre platform, and there are no seats lost.” The Regent Theatre will be hosting a fundraising event in October to help cover the cost of additional improvements. “We are so lucky to have the community support that we do. The sponsorship component of the theatre raises approximately $100,000 per year, and then the donations are a whole other section of our income, and we really depend on these.”

Seay said that the increased tourism and the growing number of residents as a result of a couple of major housing projects are changing the face of arts and culture in the County. “You are much more likely to see an A-list performer at a barn or a winery or a brewery. The way people consume entertainment has changed, and will continue to change. For us at the Regent, it is forcing us to adapt, and part of that adaptation is really embracing our heritage. It’s looking back to look forward. It’s about embracing heritage in the design of the space as much as in the programming,” she said. With all the changes in the theatre over the decades, it is no longer period-appropriate. The chandeliers are long gone and the colour scheme is somewhat arbitrary. The theatre is also now one of many venues that residents and visitors can choose among for top-flight entertainment, and it has to distinguish itself in order to stand out. “What the accessible seating project is giving us the opportunity to do is to redecorate, and that’s actually the key. That brings us to our Art Deco heritage, and it’s by creating events that make the Regent a destination because of its heritage that we are going to survive moving forward. The only way to become the destination is to look the part. It has to be Instagrammable,” she said. “The heritage component is the key. The thing that we have that nobody else does is the proscenium stage and a 104-year-old building. So we have to embrace that and take care of it. We have to take steps to be self-sufficient, and this is one of the ways we’re going to do that.”