The Capital Regional District (CRD) has just announced a plan to establish a Performing Arts Facilities Service that will help provide support for regional theatres.
This service would be designed to provide operating and capital funding to the capital region’s three regional theatres: the Charlie White Theatre, the Royal Theatre and the McPherson Playhouse.
Furthermore, work would be done in this endeavour to look at the potential of new performing arts facilities that could provide a tangible regional impact. One such project being the Juan de Fuca Performing Arts Centre Society’s proposed new theatre in the West Shore.
In order to approve this new service for the arts communities of Greater Victoria, CRD staff will move forward with seeking elector approval through an Alternative Approval Process (AAP).
All 14 municipalities that make up the CRD, including the Southern Gulf Islands, will be able to take part in this AAP.
If the Performing Arts Facilities Service achieved electoral approval, it will provide support to each facility through the following core functions:
- Plan – by getting grants to further the theatre’s reach and impact
- Develop – with capital funding for renovations and accessibility upgrades
- Fund – Providing further funding through CRD-run grants for existing theatres and rental subsidies for non-profit community arts groups
One key reason the CRD saw a need for this new Performing Arts Facilities Service is that funding had grown stagnant for both the Royal Theatre and McPherson Playhouse since the late 1990s, which resulted in a 40% loss in purchasing power over time.
Additionally, there is currently a lack of regional coordination in planning and funding, high rental costs limit access for local arts groups, there is unequal cost-sharing across the region and an absence of a regional theatre in the rapidly-growing West Shore.
The CRD says the new Performing Arts Facilities Service is expected to improve access and affordability for local arts groups, strengthen infrastructure and programming, support youth and educational initiatives as well as foster regional equity in arts and culture.
“This is a milestone we’ve been working toward for years, and the Board’s unanimous support reflects the strong belief in what this new service will mean for our region,” said CRD Board Chair Cliff McNeil-Smith.
“Local performing arts are a vital part of our communities—they inspire creativity, bring people together, and enrich our cultural life. Moving forward with this new service brings us closer to expanding the support our local theatres need to thrive.”
If the service is to be approved, the CRD says that they will still retain ownership of the Royal Theatre, the City of Victoria will still own the McPherson Playhouse and the Saanich Peninsula Memorial Park Society will retain the Charlie White Theatre.
However, these three theatres will have unlocked new funding streams, supports and opportunities to grow and uplift the arts communities around them.
The AAP to garner elector approval will launch this winter, in late 2025 or early 2026, according to the CRD.
