The Community Arts Council (CAC) has been announced as the new operator of the city-owned Prince George Playhouse.
A three-year agreement between the CAC and the City of Prince George was announced Monday morning. It took effect Sunday, Sept. 1 and runs until Aug. 31, 2027.
"We are thrilled to have the opportunity to start revitalizing our local civic theatre and to continue our work promoting and building a vibrant performing arts sector here in Prince George," states Eli Klasner, executive director of the CAC, in a press release. "We have heard from so many groups in the community that we need this venue re-opened and promoted, and we are very grateful to the City of Prince George for the work that has been undertaken to repair and upgrade many elements of the stage systems."
Choreographer Giselle Liu begins a residency at the Playhouse this month, working with the local performing arts community to study interactive and responsive lighting and sound to expand technical and artistic understanding of lighting design.
“Revitalizing the Playhouse is an important step towards collaborative community building,” states CAC performing arts manager Shelby Richardson. “We’re focused on facilitating diverse programming that brings people together, supports local performing arts, and makes the Playhouse a dynamic hub for creativity and connection in our community.”
The CAC also operates Studio 2880 and was part of the development of the Knox Performance Centre.
Questions were raised about the state of the building in 2023, after a piece of wall panelling fell. The city has made some upgrades to the theatre venue over the past year.
“The Community Arts Council is building a solid and capable team to operate the Prince George Playhouse,” states Glen Mikkelsen, CN Centre and entertainment manager. “Their energy and enthusiasm is going to invigorate the venue, and we look forward to seeing what events and artists the CAC entices to Northern B.C..”
Information on renting the Playhouse, which is located at 2626 Recplace Dr., is at princegeorgeplayhouse.ca. The CAC is offering a five per cent discount on rental fees until February.
