Business mobility City looks at one licence for mid-Island region. PAGE 19 Herd mentality Contemporary dance looks at post-apocalyptic society. PAGE 26 Mariners win Women’s volleyball team takes on No. 1 opponents. PAGE 8
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2013
VOL. 24, NO. 119
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Cultures collide Lion dance performers take in all of the festivities before their time on the stage at the sixth annual Robbie Burns and Chinese New Year Celebration at Bowen Auditorium Saturday. The rich cultural heritages of the Chinese and Scottish fused together during the evening event, which was attended by dozens of families to see entertainment in the form of highland dancing, the lion dance, piping in of the haggis and more. Nanaimo Museum continues celebrations of Lunar New Year Saturday (Feb. 9) at 1 p.m. Admission is by donation. NIOMI PEARSON/THE NEWS BULLETIN
Theatre society revisits building studio space
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PLANS SHELVED in 2009 for smaller rehearsal hall after economic downturn. BY TOBY GORMAN THE NEWS BULLETIN
Another voice has been added to the increasingly dramatic conversation on how to provide public studio theatre space, where it should be and how much it should cost taxpayers. The Port Theatre Society has resurrected
its idea of building an addition on to the Port Theatre to allow for a smaller, more affordable performance and rehearsal stage area capable of accommodating 80 to 200 audience members. The proposal comes at a time when city council is debating spending $800,000 over five years to renovate the exterior of the aging Nanaimo Centre Stage theatre at 25 Victoria Cres., a public venue the city purchased for $460,000 in 2008. During a review of city assets performed earlier this year, an engineering firm recommended that extensive work be done to Nanaimo Centre Stage, including $450,000
to replace stucco, $100,000 to reroof sloped areas with a metal roof, and $10,000 to replace all of the building’s windows, among other work. On Jan. 28, the city said it would address any immediate safety concerns, such as falling stucco and bricks, on the 116-yearold structure, but council has been hesitant to commit to a full renovation. It has, however, promised to discuss it during budget deliberations. Bruce Halliday, general manager of the Port Theatre, said that has opened the door to re-pitch the idea of adding a modern studio theatre expansion to the Port Theatre.
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“Now is the time to build the long overdue studio theatre and it remains a priority for the Port Theatre to get this done,” said Halliday. “It’s been on our books since 1998 in one form or another. It’s a viable option, though every time we pitch it it gets revised a little bit.” In 2009, plans to go ahead with the $9.8-million project were shelved after the society was denied $7.8 million in provincial and federal grants. The city agreed to be the guarantor for a $2-million line of credit to make up the balance. ◆ See ‘ARTS’ /4
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