Christmas came early for the Arden Theatre last week.
On Friday St. Albert MLA and Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education Stephen Khan presented the Friends of the Arden Theatre Society with a $100,000 grant cheque to help fund renovations to the Arden’s box office and concession area.
The grant comes from the provincial community facility enhancement program. The Friends is a non-profit that raises money for the theatre.
“We’re really happy we were able to provide that kind of support for the Friends of the Arden and the Arden Theatre,” Khan said. “It plays such an important role in the community, whether it’s an awards night for a school or a world-class artist in our community, or really everything in between.”
The money will help offset some of the $275,000 cost to create a little more space for both concession staff and those who work in the current cramped confines of the box office. Kelly Jerrott, the city’s director of cultural services, said the plans for the renovations are still being finalized, but that work should start over the summer.
“We’re really excited and it’s one of the first times we’ve been able to do any renovations to the concession and box office area,” Jerrott said. “Those areas particularly address our service to patrons, which is a huge priority for us.”
Neither area has been renovated since the Arden opened to the public in 1984. The spruce-up will also count as an early Christmas gift as the theatre heads into its 30th season in 2014.
“It will be an investment in service to our supporters,” Jerrott said.
When the renovation plans are finalized, the work will likely take place during the summer of 2013, after the Northern Alberta International Children’s Festival takes place. The work means Children’s Theatre summer camps and other activities will be held at other locations, but otherwise the impact should be minimal, Jerrott said.
The city is still looking for other sources of funding. The city received $100,000, but had applied for the grant maximum of $125,000. Jerrott said if no other grant sources materialize, the city will tap the theatre’s reserve account for the outstanding balance.
