By Amanda Pratt
The Great Canadian Theatre Company is hoping to build on the success of its behind-the-scenes fundraising campaign, by appealing to the community for private donations.
Before the public kick-off of the GCTC’s Making It Greater Capital Campaign, the corporate stretch of the fundraising initiative had already raised $3.1 million over the past six months for the new $9.5-million Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre.
The naming of the facility came with a $2.5-million donation from the family of the late Irving Greenberg, a former GCTC patron, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
“I was shocked and absolutely thrilled and so encouraged by it,” GCTC artistic director Lorne Pardy, says of the donation. “It was the kind of gift that set such an example for everyone else in the community.”
Pardy says the success of the campaign to date is due to enlisting the contributions of friends of the GCTC, who have both the means to help out, and the ability to reach out to others within the larger community, to gain their support.
“They’ve made wonderful connections for us and, as it turns out, people have been hugely generous off the top,” he says. “That’s how we’ve been successful to start with…by keeping it quiet and using our friends.”
Jim McKeen, owner of Loeb Glebe, was one of the first corporate supporters to jump on-board with the Wellington Street project. He says the store has been involved with the existing Gladstone location as a sponsor for many years
“They’re promoting Canadian theatre and supporting Canadian actors and we just feel that it’s a very grassroots organization. It’s important to have that type of theatre within Ottawa,” he says.
“We know a lot of the actors. Some of them actually shop at our store, so it just makes sense. We’re speaking with the people who are actually performing.”
McKeen says the GCTC’s success can be attributed to its clear focus and how organized they’ve been.
“Before they even did this, they interviewed me, they interviewed their patrons. I think they did their homework,” he says. “They really know who supports this theatre and they know the patrons.”
Peter Honeywell, executive director of The Council for the Arts in Ottawa, agrees that the GCTC has done a great job in raising the funds needed.
“I think the Great Canadian Theatre Company has done an absolutely textbook case on facility development,” he says. “They proceeded with a very clear vision, a very clear plan. It’s been classic step-by-step progress and I think they’re gonna do it.”
Honeywell adds there should be no problem getting individuals in the community to donate what they can.
“I think there are a lot of people just deciding, ‘How much should I give,’” he says, adding that the rest of the campaign will involve “many, many smaller donations.”
With a small ticket surcharge, along with the sale of the Gladstone property, the GCTC expects to generate $1.1 million. It also hopes for $1.7 million in private money, plus a possible $2.5 in government funding that will put them over the top. The city has already committed $1.3 million toward the new space.
With this added to the $3.1 million already raised, the GCTC will have $9.7 million, surpassing its target of $9.5 million.
Pardy admits $1.7 million in private donations is a lot to raise, but says if the generosity of people who have come forward with funding to date is any indication, then there’s no doubt the GCTC will reach their goal.
Pardy says people need to remember what the GCTC has done for Ottawa over the last 30 years.
“Think about what a fantastic new facility this is gonna be,” he says. “They should think about how they can be a part of it, so that when they’re sitting there in the theatre in 2006, they can actually say, ‘Yeah, I helped to build this fantastic community facility.’ ”
Pardy says the group submitted an application to the federal government’s Cultural Spaces Canada program. While the application has been in for “quite some time,” there has been a positive response but no final word on funding.
Plans for an expanded performance space include a 273-seat mainstage theatre, along with a studio space with seating for 90 to 95 people.
“You’re not just seeing a building being built, but you’re also seeing a cultural scene in Ottawa flourish in the next 10 years, I would say, as a result,” says Pardy.