After 49 years the Vancouver Playhouse is being forced to shut its doors, but actresses affiliated with the company aren’t willing to wave the white flag and surrender.
“We have to fight for it, rise up out of the ashes of what is the old playhouse,” said Jennifer Clement, an actress with the playhouse for more than 20 years.
She doesn’t believe the arts community was given a chance to speak up when discussions of the closure began.
“People knew there was trouble but they didn’t think that it was going to be this bad, this soon,” she said.
Playwright Lucia Frangione expressed her sadness by chalking up the sidewalk with her script, Diamond Willow. She began from the front doors of the playhouse and hopes to write a path to city hall.
“It’s not so much (about my play) but more the idea of … where these Canadian stories are going to be told if our theatres keep closing.”
The playhouse held their last performance Saturday night. Its doors were abruptly closed after its board announced more than $ 1 million in debt Friday.
Jeff Schulz, chair of the board of governors, says there’s nothing he can do.
“I’m devastated, we’ve worked really long and hard to save the playhouse,” Schulz said.
“The amazing part is everyone is still hopeful.”
Despite the closure, Clement won’t accept defeat.
The next step for her would be to create a new business model and “consult the arts community. We need to have a roundtable with some philanthropists, some corporate entities with a business mind.”
“Transplant the heart of this playhouse into a new body, as the old one isn’t working.”
Local news from metronews.ca/vancouver
About The Reporter
