Nelson’s Civic Theatre is finally moving ahead with major renovations after an 18-month closure that stretched the resources and tested the resilience of the non-profit society behind it.
The theatre was forced to close in fall 2023 due to structural issues in the Civic Centre – a significant setback to the Nelson Civic Theatre Society’s (NCTS) long-standing plans to expand into a three-screen venue.
Fundraising began in 2017, but the pandemic, inflation, and ongoing structural concerns at the Civic Centre have significantly delayed the project.
Now, NCTS executive director Eleanor Stacey said there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
Architectural plans are now in place and a construction timeline has been set. The theatre aims to break ground in January, with hopes of reopening by next Christmas.
“The timeline for the project is somewhere between 12‑14 months, but we are really vying to have a usable building that is cleared for occupancy, frankly, in time for the Christmastime blockbusters, which is the time of year where we make the bulk of our money,” Stacey said.
Staying afloat
Though the Civic Theatre has been closed for over a year and a half, NCTS hasn’t gone dark.
The society kept its 21‑seat Shoebox Theatre at 225 Hall Street active and revived a drive‑in theatre in the summer of 2024 to generate revenue.
“I have people say to me often, ‘wow, I can’t believe you guys are still here’ and I look back at the last 18 months and I almost can’t remember exactly how we made it work. It has been through a lot of creative thinking, and a lot of community support,” Stacey said.
Stacey said the drive‑in brought visibility but only broke even financially. Meanwhile, revenue from shoebox screenings, video rentals at Reo’s Video, and grants have helped keep the society sustainable.
Bigger costs
The theatre renovation was originally proposed at $4.1 million in 2019, but the estimated cost has since climbed to about $6.5 million, reflecting inflation and the need to remain sustainable through the extended closure.
Stacey said the theatre renovation will add two screening rooms behind the original auditorium, converting the building into a three‑theatre venue.
Other plans also include upgrades to the lobby, a new concession are, modern mechanical systems and accessible washrooms.
“It will still feel like the Civic Theatre that we all know when you look forward at the screen and at the stage. But in the back, where we’ve had sort of a temporary sound divider for quite a long time now, there will actually be a cross‑aisle hallway that is new to everybody,” she explained.
“And that cross‑aisle will take you into these back two theatres, those will now be their own spaces so we’ll have two more theatres at the same time, so we can show a lot more content.”
So far, NCTS has raised about $3.625 million, which includes contributions from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program, Columbia Basin Trust, the BC Gaming Fund, the BC Arts Council, and a $1 million line of credit from the City of Nelson.
The society still needs to raise roughly $3 million, and is launching another fundraising push – offering opportunities for naming rights, major gifts and future community campaigns.
“We’re trying to go about this in more of a major gifts way. So we have naming rights in the theatres and some throughout the venue. There may be a seat sale of some sort later on. All of those opportunities will come,” Stacey said.
Looking ahead
For much of the closure period, communication around the renovation has been limited
Stacey said this is largely because the city’s roof repairs took priority which NTCS wasn’t in control of.
But, she said that’s about to change.
“Over the course of this next year, we will be bringing the community along every step of the way. You’re going to hear about everything that is going on. We’ve still got a lot to do but it’s a lot more fun to do it with the community,” she said.
How to help
Stacey and NCTS are calling on the community to support in multiple ways.
This can look as simple as purchasing a NCTS membership, which Stacey said can help with grant applications.
“When people become members of a nonprofit or a charity, it really matters when we apply for grants. Right now our membership is at about 1,000 and we’ve really love to see our memberships back up to around 1,500.”
Other ways to show support include attending screenings at the Shoebox, contributing to NCTS’s operating fund, and to watch for upcoming fundraising initiatives.
“We’re going to need people to help us make this happen. I would love it if everybody would think about the capital campaign and think about the ways in which we might be able to raise that last leg of money,” she said.
Despite the delays and challenges, Stacey remains optimistic.
She noted that the original vision for the Civic’s revival pitched nearly a decade ago has not changed.
“Our society was founded on the premise of being a social enterprise that reinvests in the community and supports the community in other ways. That plan has not changed,” she said.
“We’ve always sung the same song; it’s just taking a little longer to get there.”
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