By Scott Strasser
It only moved into its current space five months ago, but the TheatreWorks Centre for Performing Arts is going to need a new home in the Comox Valley very soon.
The local theatre company is losing its venue at 2683 Moray Avenue in Courtenay at the end of August. According to TheatreWorks creator Kymme Patrick, the building’s property management company has leased it out to a different tenant. TheatreWorks has been renting the space from NAI Commercial since April 2017 on a short-term basis at a cheaper-than-advertised rate. The lease had a fixed end date that was extended to accommodate TheatreWorks’ situation.
Patrick said her company has been desperate for a permanent home for some time, preferably one that offers enough space for rehearsing and performances.
“We came here out of desperation, not having a venue because most venues are inaccessible due to cost, politics, that sort of thing,” she said. “We’d been progressing with the belief and understanding that we were trying to make it work and feasible for the long term.”
Patrick said she received notice in early August that TheatreWorks would have to move out of the space before Sept. 1. She stressed that she doesn’t want to slam the property management company for finding a new tenant.
“I’m more interested in getting the word out that we are looking for a venue,” Patrick said. “They have the right to lease to the highest [bidder] and the longest term situation as immediately as they need to. I get that.”
TheatreWorks is currently finalizing preparations for its summer production in the Moray Ave. building. The company will perform Knights and Ladies of Avalon on Aug. 18–19. There will be three performances, with tickets for all shows set at $15.
After the performances are over, TheatreWorks will have 10 days to clear out all of its equipment from the building and — hopefully — find a new venue.
“We’ve got seating, stage equipment, all of our stuff we brought out of storage because we thought we were moving forward. Had there at any time been a conversation about someone else being interested [in the lease]… we wouldn’t have set up in this kind of fashion,” said Patrick.
A broker from NAI Commercial’s central Vancouver Island office declined to speak on the record about TheatreWorks’ lease at the Moray Ave. property.
The TheatreWorks Centre for Performing Arts began in 1990. The company provides instruction to about 250 students of drama in the Comox Valley each year.
To contact Patrick, call 250-792-2031, or email theatreworks@shaw.ca