Oak Bay has no problem talking about the future of McPherson Playhouse and that’s all they agreed to during the final May council meeting.
McPherson Playhouse is owned and supported by the City of Victoria and managed by the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society a not-for-profit established in 1998. RMTS also manages the Royal Theatre, owned by the CRD and supported by Oak Bay, Saanich and Victoria. Ownership was transferred to the three municipalities in 1974.
Victoria Coun. Marianne Alto is part of a working group with members of the RMTS board visiting regional councils seeking a commitment to conversation on aligning ownership of the Royal and McPherson theatres.
“I see this as an opportunity to collaborate,” said Coun. Michelle Kirby.
Coun. Kevin Murdoch noted that the funding conversation may be complex.
“If you want to ask if we want to have some say in the house we partially own, that’s an easy yes,” he said.
With three more municipal councils to visit, Alto said they expect to hit their mid-June deadline. After the proposed conversations, Victoria plans to present the CRD with options for 2018 and beyond.
RMTSpresentation
According to the City of Victoria presentation, 22.3 per cent of Oak Bay resident attended a show at McPherson in 2016 while 61.4 per cent of residents attended a show at the Royal Theatre.
