Conexus Arts Centre acting as temporary courtroom during pandemic

With the COVID-19 pandemic upstaging live entertainment, the Conexus Arts Centre has turned to courtroom drama to get by.

Neil Donnelly, the performing arts centre’s CEO, said the facility was picked by justice officials to be the venue for cases since physical distancing wasn’t possible in Regina’s courthouse.

Donnelly, who was on the Greg Morgan Morning Show on Thursday, said the facility has been booked into the spring.

“All socially distanced, nice and spread out wide, so they use our convention (hall) downstairs or they’re right on stage upstairs,” he said.

He said the facility has also been used for jury selection, which requires more than 100 people.

“It has been a good little piece of business for us that has brought a few people back to work for us which we’re really happy about,” Donnelly said.

With the government consulting different sectors of the economy on possible further restrictions, Donnelly said he wouldn’t be surprised if there was another order to close.

That would put an end to the smaller-scale performances the building has been hosting.

“If we can do it, great,” he said. “We’ll work as hard as we can to be as safe as possible. If we have to shut down — that is what we assume — it’s best for everybody else.”

But he echoed what many business owners have called for should there be another shutdown — that there should be support for those impacted.

“Keeping these organizations alive and afloat so that when things back to come back to normal is really important,” Donnelly said.

“I just can’t imagine what our community would be like without our facility, without Evraz Place, without the symphony, without the Globe.”