After two years, $1.3 million in renovations and several critically successful performances, The Gladstone theatre is up for sale — though the owners haven’t quite turned off the lights on the financially troubled venue just yet.
In recent interviews, principal owner Steve Martin has lamented the low revenues and the difficulty of filling seats, describing the theatre as a “sinking ship.”
And co-owner Marilisa Granzotto says that while she’d love to see the theatre continue, she doesn’t see it happening because of the unexpectedly high cost of putting on shows.
“I’d love for sales of the booked shows to be incredible,” she says. “But we’ve found that producing is not cost-effective.”
The theatre currently has performances booked through the end of 2010 and into the spring of next year, and Martin has said they will go on as scheduled regardless of whether the theatre is sold to a new owner.
He has also hinted that if the booked shows wildly exceed expectations, there might still be hope the theatre can continue producing shows under the current ownership.
Martin purchased the former home of the Great Canadian Theatre Company for about $500,000, and after the vacant theatre was given a retro-styled renovation, The Gladstone opened to rave reviews in September 2008.
Despite a number of performances that drew praise from Ottawa’s arts community, the theatre never achieved a level of commercial success to match its stage triumphs, says Granzotto.
“It’s certainly very disappointing to have all of this success with performances but not have them be successful financially,” she says.
Granzotto says other independent theatres in Ottawa have relied heavily on government funding, something The Gladstone hasn’t done since opening because of Martin’s belief in not accepting handouts.
“Other facilities have depended heavily on subsidies from the government,” says Granzotto.
“But that’s just not something Steve believes in.”
Granzotto says she hopes the theatre can continue to act as a rental facility for those interested in receptions and other events.
Justine Parker, a theatre student at the University of Ottawa, says she doesn’t mind the potential sale of the theatre so long as it continues producing excellent performances.
“If they get rid of it as a theatre, then I’ll be upset, but if just another company starts producing there, it won’t be so bad,” she says.
Parker says she thinks smaller theatres such as The Gladstone are important because they provide some diversity to Ottawa’s arts culture.