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View Royal up for being part of downtown Victoria theatres discussion

Royal and McPherson society looking to streamline operations
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The McPherson Playhouse in Victoria is like an incubator space for local arts and cultural talent, while the Royal Theatre provides a larger space for touring and other professional performances. Terrance Lam/Courtesy Royal and McPherson Theatre Society

Representatives of the Royal and McPherson Theatre Society stopped by View Royal town hall Tuesday to ask for the TownB次元官网网址檚 support and ideas for integrating the two venues under the societyB次元官网网址檚 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.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e looking for input on the integration of the two facilities,B次元官网网址 said Victoria Coun. Marianne Alto, who will soon take over fellow Coun. Pamela MadoffB次元官网网址檚 director spot on the societyB次元官网网址檚 board.

The societyB次元官网网址檚 vision is to create a more efficient organizational and funding structure for the two theatres to create an B次元官网网址渋ntegrated performing arts centre.B次元官网网址 Currently the 772-seat McPherson acts as a kind of B次元官网网址渋ncubatorB次元官网网址 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.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com

ownership is by the CRD, with support from OB Saan Vic

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