Society refuses 'offer'

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EXCERPT:

The school district wants the Massey Theatre Society to abandon the Massey and run a new 500-seat theatre at the proposed replacement high school.

Massey Theatre executive director Jessica Schneider said the board of education made the offer to the society at a joint meeting between the society and the school district.

The answer was a resounding no.

"The Massey Theatre Society will not participate in any proposal that sees the demolition of the Massey Theatre," said society chairperson Mike Redmond.

The proposal wasn't a "real" proposal anyway because there's no guarantee the theatre will be built, Redmond told The Record Thursday.

Schneider cited a number of other reasons that the society wouldn't want to leave the Massey, saying the city's major artistic organizations, such as the Royal City Musical Theatre Society, would not survive in a smaller theatre. The society wouldn't make enough money to cover its costs and would require more funding from the school district.

Also, any new space would not have the same quality and capabilities as the historic 1,260-seat theatre, Schneider said.

Schneider was "frustrated" by the meeting, which she thought would provide the society and the board a chance to talk.

The society had been calling for a meeting for some time, she said.

Instead, the district's capital project manager, Jim Alkins, spent much of the time talking about the district's proposal to have them operate the new theatre.

There was no discussion on the Massey's lease with the district, which ends in June. The society does the bulk of its booking well in advance of shows. If a new lease agreement isn't reached soon, the society may not be able to book any more performances, which could effectively mean an end to theatre operations at Massey.