Arts non-profits disappointed with leasing fees for Orange Hall Theatre
Two non-profit arts groups say expensive fees forced them to drop their plans to lease the theatre in Orange Hub, a building the City of Edmonton hopes will be one of the largest non-profit centres in the country.
Two years ago the city announced it was turning the former MacEwan University arts building into a community hub for non-profit organizations. As an artistic director with a performance group, Randall Fraser was very excited.
"Fostering community," said Fraser, who works with the National Stiltwalkers of Canada. "That's something I've been involved in just about my entire arts career."
The not-for-profit collective promotes stilt-walking as an art form and physical activity.The Black Box Theatre in the building met their needs for high ceilings and a large space for performances and lessons.
The stilt-walkers planned to partner with Theatre Prospero, a non-profit that produces classical theatre and artist-in-residence programs. The two groups spent 50 hours on an application and met with the city to negotiate the price. But learned the $15-per-square-foot per-year fee was a firm rate.
The group needed close to 3,000 square feet, which would cost close to $45,000. Fraser said his organization pays $36,000 for its current space, so the partnering groups walked away from the lease.
"We were really bending over backwards to try to figure out how to make it work, even given those numbers and we just couldn't. I can't justify spending more money for less accessibility."
Without the stilt-walkers group, Theatre Prospero also moved on from its plan to lease Orange Hub's theatre.
"'I think that the city failed in its effort to create the noble thing that it was trying to create," said Mark Henderson, artistic director of Theatre Prospero.
There's currently 11 leaseholders combining to make up about a 60 percent occupancy rate in Orange Hub. The city's targeting an occupancy rate of 80 per cent.
Ellen Finn, a supervisor with City of Edmonton's recreational facilities branch, said the hub is meeting the city's expectations, but the hub is relatively new — tenants moved into the building in April.
A report about Orange Hub's progress, fees and occupancy rates will be presented to council in January.
"Rates could adjust accordingly, but in addition when we go to city council, if it's their interest to reduce our cost recovery expectations, that puts us in a different position as well," Finn said.
The theatre has no major tenant yet, so the City of Edmonton is managing occasional bookings.
Travis.mcewan@cbc.ca
@Travismcewancbc
