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One of the largest murals in Western Canada reflects Enbridge’s deep roots in Saskatchewan
Regina Performing Arts Centre renovations will enrich audience experience in the Queen City
No matter how captivating a performance may be, there’s just no compromise for comfort.
Theatre Regina, which operates the Regina Performing Arts Centre and hosts in the ballpark of 67,000 audience members each year, is close to completing fundraising for a replacement project to the 600 audience seats in its facility.
The replacement is being done to meet fire code—and comfort—standards.
“We’re a unique organization in Regina in that we are the only one that supports arts and culture in such a large-scale way,” says Howard DeLong, a board member with Theatre Regina.
“We’ve undergone lots of renovations in the past few years. This chair project is another important one that we know members will be happy about.”
Currently, the seats in Theatre Regina do not interlock, meaning staff have to physically tie them together each time they are used. The introduction of new chairs with interlocking capabilities means the staff would be saving both time and their joints.
“If there’s ever a cause for emergency, people need to be able to leave safely without chairs flying everywhere,” says DeLong.
Theatre Regina is a volunteer-run organization, with all six board members as passionate as the next about arts and culture. For DeLong, his part-time gig with Theatre Regina for the past six years has been a “hobby”—but an important one. “As an actor and director for many years, this is especially close to me,” he says.
Theatre Regina
The organization was established in 1986, and the facility in operation since the 1990s. Theatre Regina provides the space for member groups such as Regina Little Theatre and Regina Summer Stage, in addition to others.
Enbridge works to improve quality of life in the communities where we operate. In 2018, we invested more than $1.2 million in community-strengthening initiatives across Saskatchewan.
Our recent $2,500 donation will support Theatre Regina in meeting its goal to purchase new chairs by the end of the year. In 2016, Enbridge also supported the theatre with funding to replace its curtains.
While dance groups and theatrical productions take the stage most often at the Regina Performing Arts Centre, art galleries and other groups are also on the schedule.
“We’ve really developed our strategy and realized the need to reach out into arts throughout the community,” says DeLong.
To support its core business of supporting both amateur and professional performing arts, Theatre Regina opens its space to cultural groups, weddings and corporate functions.
This summer, Hairspray took center stage, with the Regina Summer Stage production running for a week in mid-July.
And by 2020, DeLong is hoping the facility will have 600 brand new shiny chairs.
(TOP PHOTO: A Regina Little Theatre production of Opening Night, a Canadian farce by Norm Foster, staged at the Regina Performing Arts Centre.)
