[The following article also appeared in the Georgia Straight newspaper on October 22 and The Royal City Record on October 24 (with salutation to Government removed). You can read the Straight version
here.]
Dear Government representatives and School Trustees,
The NWSS Music Auxiliary is deeply concerned over the proposition brought forward by the school board that the only way to build a new secondary school is to tear down Massey Theatre.
Massey Theatre is an integral part of the Music Program at NWSS. The commitment of the youth of our community, together with that of their music teachers and mentors, has culminated in consistently high quality productions and concerts in Massey Theatre. The grandeur of the theatre has inspired maturity and dedication at a level not reached by many secondary music programs. Access to professional stage management, lighting, sound, and props in a professional venue has resulted in higher quality performances, providing an exceptional experience for the audiences and a greater sense of accomplishment for student musicians.
Our youth deserve to have access to a venue that they can shine in; a collective meeting place for their concerts, plays, celebration of traditions, assemblies, and award ceremonies. Our high school students, as young citizens of New Westminster, understand the importance of the history of the theatre, and the great responsibility they assume as performers in such a venue. With a different, new or smaller facility this will be lost. The students deserve a place that will be able to seat the very people who love and support them every day; their families, friends, neighbours and members of the community around them. Massey Theatre with its 1,260 seats is filled to capacity on concert and musical nights, with between 650 and 1260 audience members in attendance at any given performance.
The quality of performances increases in a professional theatre, and supported by lighting and sound provides a positive, entertaining and satisfying experience for both the audience and the performers. Massey Theatre has the flexibility to create either intimacy or grandeur depending on the needs of the performance; for example, we have had musical performances where the musicians played in the aisles of the theatre, creating an all-around sound and experience. This could not be done to that scale and effect in a smaller theatre. In recent years, some ensembles at NWSS have exceeded 75 students. A concert band of that size would not fit onto a smaller stage. With a smaller performance venue, larger ensembles that would not fit may have to be split. Departmental concerts featuring all performing ensembles would become a thing of the past. Our current concerts help to create community by bringing all students from grades 8 to 12 together for a shared performance experience. Separate concerts would fracture the community and make it harder to maintain the musical “family” that currently exists at NWSS. This family is the support network for students, and for some at-risk students a large reason they continue to come to school.
Massey Theatre is a fully functioning theatre with all its growing pains worked out. It has a professional, supportive staff, so productions run smoothly. Massey is a comfortable theatre to sit in with each seat having a good view of the stage. It has the atmosphere of a space that has been around for sixty years and is part of the heritage of this area. Although intangible this atmosphere cannot be replaced or transferred. What has happened in a space over years adds to the collective experience in it. Nostalgia and heritage are also part of the reason people enjoy going to performances at Massey Theatre.
What are the needs versus the wants in the suggested $18 million upgrade? We should solicit proposals for Massey Theatre focusing on just the essentials. We hope the school board will work hard towards finding solutions for the capital project that would see the current NWSS site have a new secondary school building, along with Mercer stadium and Massey Theatre. As parents, citizens and taxpayers of New Westminster, we urge the board and the city to negotiate and enter into discussions that will find a solution to the current impasse. We will campaign to ensure that any future plans will include an agreement to maintain the current level of the NWSS performing arts department’s educational use of Massey Theatre.
Our youth are citizens of our city and they deserve to be heard, to have their needs met and to have the opportunity to contribute within their community. They deserve the best our city has to offer them, and the best is Massey Theatre.
Sincerely,
NWSS Music Auxiliary
Jane Popowich
President
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