Globe Theatre renovations to be done by spring 2024

There’s chewing the scenery and then there’s renewing the scenery.

Renovations on Regina’s Globe Theatre are set to be done by spring 2024, according to Globe executive director Jaime Boldt.

“There’s a lot of new things in the building and new technologies and new systems that we’re really excited about, but also things that our Globe staff needs time to test (like) our new sound and lighting systems,” Boldt said on Wednesday’s Greg Morgan Morning Show.

Boldt said it’ll take a while for the crew to get used to all the new features they’re getting.

“We’ve never had a catwalk before. We’ve never had a trap room,” Boldt said. “We need to test out some of those things before we bring the public in.”

Boldt said the new features will bring a whole new dynamic to the theatre’s performances.

“They talk a lot about theatre as having magic and this is going to be another level that the public is going to see,” she said.

The renovations involved hollowing out the building. At one point in time, the building was basically down to structural beams and its exterior walls.

“It is the true pumpkin project. I love to quote our architect James Youck when he says that,” Boldt said.

“(When) rebuilding it, we had to leave some very significant structural beams in there. So we still are fitting a round theatre and a square peg in some ways.”

Boldt said the theatre will have much better entrance and seating accommodations than it did before.

She said that previously, actors and audience members used to come in through the same area, making for a kind of awkward situation.

“And now (for the new arrangement) the audience will come in from above, kind of like when you go to a (Saskatchewan Roughriders) game, and you descend to your seats,” she said.

“And then the actors have their own space and we don’t have any crossover.”

She also says there will be wider aisles, bigger seats and cupholders.

Boldt said that won’t be the only change — the box office will now be on ground level instead of on the fourth floor where it used to be.

The theatre’s street front will be an open space for the community with seating, coffee and free Wi-Fi.

She says the new theatre will be able to hold about 430 people.

“We had hoped to go up more but I think what we’ve done is figured out how to make it comfortable,” she said. “We can always run a show longer, but we want our folks to be comfortable in those seats, so that was important to us.”

Despite the optimism for the new theatre, Boldt voiced some concerns about the fate of live performances in a post-pandemic world.

“We’re not seeing the audience that we had seen previously and you’ll see (Regina Symphony Orchestra) and the live performing arts are struggling and we need people to start coming out to things,” she said.

“So we’ll see. I hope that the draw for folks will be to come downtown and see the new space and that they’ll be excited about that.”