The City of Prince George will be putting $411,000 into repairs for the Playhouse, but the bill could possibly rise into the millions.
The Playhouse was built in the early seventies and underwent a major renovation in 1996.
The cladding that was commonly used at the time was later found to be problematic, causing water damage.
On Dec.4, 2020, a serious storm tore off some of that cladding.
The current repairs will be temporary and will fix the cladding on the exterior to weatherproof the building, as well as upgrade the current rigging system.
A much more extensive repair is on the table, possibly costing the city $8.1 million.
On top of operating costs, a full building envelope repair would be a minimum of $4.5 million, three HVAC units would need to be replaced, adding $580,000 to the bill, adding a new parking lot would add $1.5 million, and other repairs and maintenance over the next ten years are estimated around $1 million.
“The problem for any touring company is that it’s only a 300 seat auditorium, so it doesn’t make financial sense for most tours that are coming through here. They need a 500 to 800 theatre auditorium to make it pay, to make it worth their while,” said Judy Russell, former manager for the Playhouse.
Russell believes that temporary repairs for the Playhouse are needed, but the rest of the funds should go towards a newer, more modern auditorium.
“It is time for us to have a large cultural centre that can give all of the incredible artists the opportunity to be the best that they can be for our community,” she adds.
The decision on a more permanent solution for the Playhouse is being put off until a later date.