The Other Guise Theatre Society in downtown Victoria has announced that the organization may be forced to sell their space if an investor does not step forward to help.
The Society purchased the building located at 716 Johnson Street for $2.4 million back in 2023 with some help from a private investor, Kate Kempton, a local philanthropist and supporter of the arts.
According to Other Guise, the original plan was to have her involved for the first 25 years to help the organization get off the ground.
However, the plan went awry when Kate Kempton stepped away from the project later in 2023.
Her health had reportedly taken a turn for the worse. Unable to find health care locally, she left Victoria for Toronto where she was able to return to good health.
Though Kempton remains supportive of the project, she is not returning to Victoria and opted to withdraw financial support.
Since that time, the Other Guise Artistic and Executive Director Matthew Payne has been working on buying out the investor, managing to raise over $1 million.
Though this effort was considerable, the Other Guise needs a lot more to be free of the initial investor.
“While we’ve raised a lot of money, we have not raised enough to complete the buy out,” says Payne.
“If we don’t find the majority of the $1.25-million we owe by the end of March this year, we anticipate a for sale sign going up.”
The Other Guise have received financial support and grants from the BC Arts Council, the City of Victoria and from several considerable private donations.
From the City alone, the Society was given $100,000 in grant funding back in 2023. In 2025, The City voted against providing a $250,000 loan to the Other Guise. Instead they opted to give another $100,000 in grants.
After completing the costly renovation with some of the funds they received, the 9000-square-foot venue, The Scene, was able to open in October 2025.
Since opening, The Scene has been host to several theatre, music, dance and visual arts events.
Furthermore, the space is home to arts groups Raino Dance and Flamenco Victoria, who rent upstairs studios.
According to the Society, Other Guise is unable to attain a loan from traditional lenders because they are still in early stages of the project without a full year’s track record to prove they will be able to pay a loan back.
Now, as a last hopeful effort, the Society is putting out a plea for an investor to come forward and help them keep their arts hub alive.
“It’s too soon to say what selling the building means for the future of the space,” said Payne.
“Perhaps we’ll get lucky and find a buyer interested in leasing back to us for a time. We’ve got contracts with renters through to June 2027, so we’d like to see those honoured.”
The Other Guise says that if they don’t have an investor by March 31st, they will have to sell.
