Corey Mayville says the intimate atmosphere of the Bronson Centre auditorium is a draw for artists and concertgoers.
It may be tricky for audience members to “just dance” to their favourite Lady Gaga tunes when the American glam-rock star visits Ottawa this weekend.
Following on the heels of the U.K. indie-rock group Bloc Party, who played at the Bronson Centre on March 17, Gaga will perform on the same stage for an intimate crowd of 900 on March 27. It is the only Canadian venue on either tour which features a sit-down audience space.
“I’ve attended many concerts there, and I think it’s a great location with good acoustics, but it doesn’t really work as an upbeat rock venue,” says Kyle Raven, who attended the sold-out Bloc Party concert. “That said though, there aren’t that many venues in Ottawa with that seating capacity and the ability to be all-ages.”
The Bronson Centre’s executive director Corey Mayville admits that the theatre may seem an odd choice for some musical acts, but insists that the intimate quality of the venue is a draw rather than a deterrent for most artists and concert-goers.
“It may not be a mosh-pit party in here every time but that’s not what our venue promotes,” says Mayville. “We’re centrally located, we’re still a decent size, and we’ve got a sit-down, more relaxed atmosphere.”
“Artists love to perform to a crowd that is actually there just to listen to them,” he adds.
This intimate atmosphere has attracted celebrated Canadian acts including Sam Roberts and Sarah Slean over the past year, along with international artists such as Xavier Rudd and Melanie C, of Spice Girls fame.
Mayville credits this largely to the assistance of Ottawa music promoter and Revolution Rock production manager Shawn Scallen, whose advice was vital in attracting artists to the community centre. One of his pivotal suggestions was a major overhaul of the auditorium’s outdated sound and light system.
“From the get-go I realized Bronson Centre’s potential as a diamond in the rough and have been polishing it for the last four years,” says Scallen.
In that time, Scallen has helped attract major acts to the centre including Broken Social Scene, Hawksley Workman and Bloc Party.
“He’s a really hands-on local scene guy,” says Mayville of Scallen. “He knows everybody and anybody. He’s really helped put us on the map. He believes in the centre and what we do.”
What the centre does is provide affordable space for non-profit organizations with limited resources. The money generated by renting out the auditorium goes back to the centre’s tenants.
Mayville adds that although the theatre isn’t the centre’s top priority, he is more than pleased that the space, once a “dingy auditorium” in Scallen’s words, is now being put to good use.
“We have a unique niche and a unique philosophy and we can’t serve everybody. But I love that we’re being used as we are and that these artists are benefiting, we’re benefiting and ultimately the community is benefiting.”