With no home, a theatre group battles to survive

Camille Atebe spoke with exhaustion and emotion Tuesday about the inability for her community theatre group to find a new home since the City of Mission closed down the non-profit stage last year.

Last summer, a city inspector declared Opening Nite Theatre’s long-time rented space in downtown Mission to be unsuitable to host audiences. That left the group searching for a new home. (You can read our original story about why the city shut down the theatre and the challenges since here.)

The City of Mission pledged to help, but Atebe, Opening Nite’s longtime president, told council last week that there are no easy solutions to the city’s lack of performance space. She suggested that if the city’s politicians are serious about supporting its local cultural community, they may have to make good on an idea that has been lingering in the background for 17 years.

A theatre

Last June, shortly after the city apologetically shut down her theatre, Atebe visited Mission council to ask for help finding a space for her community. At the time, she warned the politicians that it was harder than they might think to find a suitable place to host rehearsals and productions. The Clarke Theatre was expensive and in heavy demand, she said. And smaller community venues were frequently unsuitable for hosting a recurring play over a series of days. Mission’s councillors said they would attempt to help the group, while expressing hope that Atebe and her colleagues would be able to find a suitable venue to continue to host their plays.

But nearly a year later, Atebe says a permanent solution has remained out of reach, leading to an exodus of local directors and actors, and leaving remaining volunteers struggling to keep putting on shows.

"When we were here last, everybody said 'You guys are creative, you can figure it out,'” Atebe said. “Honestly, in the last year, we have spent most of our creativity just figuring out how to operate."

Since Opening Nite’s small Railway Avenue space was shut down by city inspectors, Atebe told council that her group has put on performances at Copper Hall, the Clarke Theatre, and the chapel at Pekw'xe:yles, also known as St. Mary's chapel.

Those spaces allowed for the staging of three different events, but none are suitable to host a group like Opening Nite over the long-term, Atebe noted.

The chapel, Copper Hall and other spaces around town don’t have the basic infrastructure to enable a consistent string of rehearsals and performances.

And although the organization has already booked the Clarke again for its Panto shows next January—Atebe hailed its “fantastic staff”—the facility is so heavily used that space is at a premium, must be reserved long in advance, and can’t host extended runs of plays.

"We have looked around for other spaces,” Atebe said. “We haven't found anything suitable."

The biggest obstacle is cost. She said the group has found places that can be used for rehearsals and storage, but which cost thousands of dollars a month, need renovation, and can’t host performances with audiences. Spaces that may seem more suitable, like various community halls, require the theatre group to provide their own lighting and seating. That can create logistical, technical, and safety problems when the spaces are also being used by other groups.

Atebe said the lack of space is now taking a toll on the decades-old organization.

The number of performances have been scaled back, and that has led actors and directors to look elsewhere to satisfy their creativity.

Those crucial performers, Atebe said, have asked, “'Why do I want to rehearse for five weeks to do two days of shows?’ It doesn't make sense for people.'"

There are no shows planned for the fall, Atebe said. She said Opening Nite Theatre had provided a local base for Mission theatre-lovers to find their own voices and develop their own careers. Now, locals are looking elsewhere.

"There are people who are working professionally as actors, as writers, because they were able to have that base. And we don't have the infrastructure right now to give them that base so people are going elsewhere.”

When Atebe spoke to council last year, the politicians encouraged her to continue talking with city officials. A year later, she suggested that little had seemed to come from discussions.

"The biggest thing we need is … to be listened to and be believed,” she said. “We keep on giving you input and it's hard to give input when we don't feel we're being listened to.”

Atebe closed by pointing to Mission’s 2008 Official Community Plan, which suggested the city plan to create a theatre space in its downtown area.

The development of a “major arts and cultural centre” near the downtown core was the first suggested arts and cultural policy when the plan was adopted in 2008. The plan suggested a facility that would include a useum and art gallery, along with space for the performing arts. It suggested the city could take the lead and “encourage a variety of groups to establish a partnership” that could bring the idea to life.

The last two decades have seen significant growth in Mission, but no progress toward more arts spaces. Indeed, seventeen years later, not only has no such facility been built, but the downtown has lost Opening Nite’s space.

"Let's go back to the things we've been saying for decades, that we've been pushing for for decades, and make it happen before we lose all of it,” Atebe told council.

The Mayor’s response

Following Atebe’s presentation, Mayor Paul Horn said city officials better understand now that they don’t have the power to help the theatre group overcome the challenges at its old location. Similarly, he said, there’s an acknowledgment that there’s no perfect landing spot for Opening Nite.

“The more I talk with other community partners, the more I realize there’s not a great fit for you,” Horn said. And he noted the city couldn’t afford to create a space specifically for the theatre group.

In her presentation, Atebe had pointed to the challenges that arise when the group is expected to share a space over a period of days or weeks. A question by Coun. Jag Gill, though, led Atebe to clarify that the group doesn’t necessarily need to be the sole user of a space.

Adapting an existing venue room without those amenities for a theatre production takes significant time and effort—and can be endangered when other tenants are using the same space. But Atebe said it’s much easier to share a performance venue that already has lighting and seating, along with space for storage.

Horn said the city can’t publicly reveal discussions about ongoing land-based projects—planning work that may involve the purchase of land usually takes place in closed-door meetings—but he told Atebe her group hadn’t been forgotten. And he noted that there are other groups also seeking event spaces that can be adapted to their specific needs.

“We’re very aware of the fact that not just performing arts but all manner of community sports. Banquets, AGMs—everyone wants a modular shared space,” he said.

Horn warned that such a space may not be like the intimate venue the city closed down last year. But for Atebe, a venue with a stage, lights, and seats would be a good start.