Bank Theatre starting to take shape

Mark Ribble, Leamington Post

Even though you can't see the progress from Erie Street, the Bank Theatre, located at the old Bank of Montreal building, is beginning to take shape.

The 205-seat theatre is expected to open in the fall of 2012 and much work has already been done to turn the bank into a venue for plays, concerts and conferences.

The 3000 square foot main floor will house the theatre and stage and the equally spacious basement will be where the sets are built and rehearsals are held.

Rick Taves, who is chairperson of the Bank Management Committee, is excited about the possibilities the new theatre will bring to uptown Leamington.

"Plays will take up just a small portion here," he says.

"We hope to have business conferences, complete with Powerpoint presentations and the works," he added.

The building has been gutted and work is being done on creating the open concept for the theatre area, which will include a new roof on the front portion of the building, hopefully this fall.

Taves explained that the seating will be four-tiered to allow patrons in the back to have a great sight-line to the stage.

Musical acts are chomping at the bit to get themselves on-stage at The Bank.

"We have a lot of inquiries and hope this place will be open at least 300 days a year with something going on," says Taves.

The installation of a spring-loaded stage will be instrumental in attracting dance recitals and plays of all kinds.

The Sun Parlor Players theatre group will be a mainstay, and are also a big part of the fundraising effort, but Taves says many other companies will be using the facilities as well.

"We have a large cross-section of the artistic community on the committee, from musical people to actors to business people," he said.

An aggressive fundraising effort will kick off this fall and Taves hopes for $1 million to be raised to do it up right.

"Not only do we need to build and renovate, but we will also need a manager or arts administrator to keep everything running smoothly," he says.  To read more go to www.leamingtonpostandshopper.com.