Representatives of the Royal and McPherson Theatre Society stopped by View Royal town hall Tuesday to ask for the Town’s support and ideas for integrating the two venues under the society’s watch.
Council, sitting as committee of the whole, agreed to be a part of ongoing discussions about a plan to link the funding mechanisms and operational status of the McPherson Playhouse, which is owned and funded by the City of Victoria, and the Royal Theatre, which is owned by the Capital Regional District and receives separate financial support from Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria.
“We’re looking for input on the integration of the two facilities,” said Victoria Coun. Marianne Alto, who will soon take over fellow Coun. Pamela Madoff’s director spot on the society’s board.
The society’s vision is to create a more efficient organizational and funding structure for the two theatres to create an “integrated performing arts centre.” Currently the 772-seat McPherson acts as a kind of “incubator” space to present up-and-coming talent, while the 1,400-seat Royal tends to offer up more established professional acts.
View Royal Coun. John Rogers noted that the Town is part of the CRD Arts Development Service, and said it would be helpful to receive budget and management plans for the two theatres as a way of helping provide input into the alignment process.
Society president Byron Smith clarified that the CRD Arts Development Service, paid into at various levels by eight regional municipalities, is a separate pool of funding from that which funds the Royal and McPherson operations. CRD Arts funds go directly to community groups, as opposed to the funding that covers RMTS operations, he said.
Randy Joynt, manager of external affairs for the society, said while there has been a downward trend in live arts and cultural support globally, their group saw an upswing in support in 2016.
The delegation will be presenting at other West Shore municipalities in the coming weeks.
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