The City of New Westminster hopes to stimulate cultural activity by offering flexible fees for the use of Anvil Theatre.
Council has approved a fees and charges bylaw related to Anvil Theatre that allows the city’s manager of community arts and theatre, Todd Ayotte, to develop and implement scaled rental fees in response to capacity restrictions related to COVID-19.
A staff report stated COVID-19 has had a “significant impact” on the performing arts sector – an impact that will be felt for the foreseeable future. Gathering restrictions, operational logistics and rental costs that no longer align with the scope and scale of traditional uses are some of the challenges facing Anvil Theatre clients through the extended recovery period.
“The need to ensure physical distancing and introduce new health and safety protocols means that larger spaces are required to support smaller scale events, which has impacted how the Anvil Theatre can be used, as well as the financial viability for many regular clients,” said the report. “As expected, theatre revenues have been significant impacted.”
In his report to council, Ayotte said the scaled rental fee adjustments would create new opportunities to generate revenue, stimulate activity, develop new client relationships and support the theatre’s return as a hub of cultural activity in the downtown.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said he supports the plan as it will try to bring some revenues to the city and provide opportunities for cultural events. He questioned the status of Massey Theatre, which is a larger theatre and offers more space for social distancing.
Ayotte said the city is looking at a “balanced approach” regarding theatre use, with some events better suited for the smaller space at Anvil Theatre and others being a better fit for Massey Theatre.
