It was quite an exciting afternoon yesterday on the steps of The Theatre Centre! Mayor Tory and Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão presented The Theatre Centre with a $200,000 cheque, through a Section 37 Community Benefit, honouring the city’s commitment to The Theatre Centre’s Capital Campaign.

“Councillor Bailão has always been an enthusiastic supporter of The Theatre Centre’s efforts to have a permanent home in West Queen West,” said The Theatre Centre’s Artistic Director Aislinn Rose. “I know from our former Artistic Director Franco Boni that this support has been integral to the campaign’s success, and I’m thrilled that Mayor Tory was able to join her to make this contribution. I look forward to continuing to foster this important relationship, while advocating for the needs of artists in our community.”

About The Theatre Centre’s $6.2 million Carnegie Library Capital Project
Thirty-three years of a nomadic existence came to an end for The Theatre Centre in 2012 when it gained tenancy to a City-owned former Carnegie library at 1115 Queen Street West. Before it could occupy the building, however, it needed to undertake major renovations to transform the interior into a unique living arts facility and restore the building to its original function as a place of public use and cultural significance.

With seed funding from the Metcalf Foundation and strong support from all three levels of Government, the company launched a private fundraising campaign and broke ground in October 2012. Eighteen months and much hard work later, the building had been transformed into a state-of-the-art theatre and cultural hub, and was officially opened as the permanent home of The Theatre Centre in March 2014.

The Theatre Centre’s Capital Campaign closed in November 2016, with significant support from both public funders and private donors, including $500,000 from philanthropist Hon. Margaret Norrie McCain who named The Theatre Centre’s mainspace after former Artistic Director Franco Boni.