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Theatre similarities could be a concern

Government help may only be postponing the inevitable with the Port Theatre.

To the Editor,

I see similarities between the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre company, which ceased operations Saturday, and Nanaimo’s Port Theatre Society.

The Vancouver group is bankrupt and owes close to $1 million, despite a generous bailout of $1 million last year by Vancouver council.

Nanaimo city council agreed just last month to help the Port Theatre Society out of the red, transferring $74,500 from its capital reserve to help cover its $114,000 deficit. The society has also asked for a $90,000 annual increase to its $454,000 operating budget but no decision has been made yet.

Is government help only postponing the inevitable then?

Vancouver councillor Heather Deal says they thought they made the right decision last year to keep the theatre company going. “We thought we could fix the inherent problems, but that turned out not to be,” she said.

The playhouse has been struggling financially for years, despite periodically posting operating surpluses too. Its board blames the global economic downturn and an inefficient operating model for a downtown theatre.

I hope the Port Theatre Society is tweaking its operating model and the city is watching how much of our money is given because I would be mad as hell if the abyss is inevitable, like Vancouver’s Playhouse Theatre group.

Ursula C. Knight

Nanaimo