EDMONTON — The Government of Canada will put $2.5 million from the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund towards rebuilding Edmonton’s Roxy Theatre.
The theatre, built as a cinema in 1938, was turned into a live venue in 1990 and fulfilled that role until 2015, when the building was destroyed by fire. The new theatre will be rebuilt on the site of the original building on 124th Street in the Westmount neighbourhood.
The funding will support construction of a new 14,639 square foot structure and will include a 200-seat black box theatre, an 80-seat studio theatre, a rehearsal hall and a gallery situated in the lobby. The theatre will be fully accessible to both audiences and artists with disabilities.
“Edmonton lost one of its most beloved artistic landmarks when the original Roxy Theatre burned down four years ago this month. The hard work of the Theatre Network Society and its determination to rebuild this iconic facility, along with tremendous community goodwill, have brought us to this moment. Our government is delighted to be a partner in the construction of the new Roxy,” Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault said in a statement.
The Theatre Network Society owns and operates the Roxy Theatre and relocated to a temporary space in Old Strathcona after the 2015 fire.
“With the support of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, this investment will help us to take the leap forward towards a new Roxy Theatre. We will now confidently roll up our sleeves and work with Group 2 Architecture and Interior Design towards tendering and then starting construction this spring,” said Theatre Network Society artistic and executive director Bradley Moss. “Theatre Network is excited to be back home on 124th Street in Edmonton, and to build a new arts facility that will proudly serve Edmonton and Canada for years to come.”
In 2018, the society received $330,270 through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund for pre-construction design work.
Construction of the new Roxy Theatre is expected to be complete within the next 18 months.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed