The Bronson Centre, a Centretown community hub and one of Ottawa’s only mid-sized music venues, is gradually making upgrades to the facility — now almost 90 years old — amid some concertgoers’ complaints about the 850-seat performance space.
The centre is hosting several high-profile performances this month, including shows by the bands Coeur de Pirate and Silverstein.
This year, the Bronson Centre is also celebrating 20 years since it took over the former Immaculata High School, which was built in 1928. As the building ages, some people who attend shows there are voicing complaints in online reviews about poor ventilation and the auditorium’s sound quality.
Nathaniel Shields, 35, says the venue’s sound quality was so bad that he couldn’t enjoy the show he went to a few months ago. He says that many people in the audience left, because they couldn’t hear the performer, Shad, clearly.
“I thought it was really disappointing for an artist of Shad’s calibre to be stuck in a place where no one could hear him,” Shields says, adding that he wouldn’t return unless changes were made.
Corey Mayville, the centre’s executive director, says that the administration’s primary focus is on its permanent tenants: the non-profit organizations it houses in 40 former classrooms throughout the building.
“We sort of run on two tracks, the one track is our permanent tenants, that’s really our raison d’etre, that’s what we do. We provide affordable office space to non-profit organizations that have limited resources,” he says.
He adds that most of the centre’s revenues — including auditorium rental for concerts and other events — go towards keeping rent affordable for the permanent tenants.
Immaculata High School moved to its new location in Ottawa East in 1994 and the Bronson Centre was opened in the facility in 1996. It operates under a non-profit administration and provides office and meeting spaces for a variety of non-profit organizations, while also hosting concerts in the theatre, which can be rented to both non-profit and commercial clients.
Mayville also adds that the theatre’s greenroom, sound system and seating have all been refurbished in the past few years, and that the lighting is currently in the process of being redone — a costly venture that Mayville says will, nevertheless, pay for itself in hydro savings within two years.
Mayville says critics of the sound quality probably had the misfortune of standing in acoustic weak spots, something he says all venues struggle with.
Ryan Lythall, a 41-year-old Ottawa resident with a form of Muscular Dystrophy, also says the venue needs to improve its accessibility. Lythall frequently attends shows at the Bronson Centre and says the bathrooms are too small to accommodate his wheelchair. He says he is often separated from his able-bodied girlfriend because he needs to be in the front or in the aisles.
“If I sit in the front, whoever’s behind me has a hard time seeing, and vice versa. Last time I went, I had to sit in the back and the only way that I was able to get out was to back up,” he says, adding the size of the crowd and the number of other disabled people at the show affects his experience.
He also says that the building’s ramps are too narrow to comfortably accommodate his chair. He says he believes renovating the building would do it a lot of good and would lead him to attend more often.
Mayville says the organization does as much renovating as it can within its operating budget, with the revenue generated from renting out spaces and by applying for a variety of grants. He cites the addition of a stair lift to the basement and an additional elevator, both put in a few years ago, as examples of relatively recent improvements to the building’s accessibility.
But he acknowledges that it can be difficult to navigate sometimes because of the building’s age. “Sometimes you have to wind yourself around because it’s a bit of an older building, so you’ve got to go around a couple of corners, but we can’t do anything physically to change that.”
On the other hand, Jordan Costa, a third-year Carleton student, went to the Bronson Centre last year to see the band August Burns Red, and plans to attend this month to see Silverstein. He says that despite the venue’s age, his experience has always been good, and the theatre’s versatility is a strong point.
“I feel like the grunge-y atmosphere kind of suits it well, but I guess it depends on what demographic the owners of the Bronson Centre are really looking for, because I think if they’re trying to maintain a heavy lineup, it’s not that bad, but if the owners wanted to transition and do something more orchestral or plays or anything like that, they may want to spruce it up to attract a more “cultured” crowd,” he says.
Mayville says the organization has long-term goals to continue improving, including the addition of an air conditioning system to improve ventilation.
“We’re mindful of (problems) and we do make changes. But again, we have to prioritize. . .and we’re always looking to upgrading. But again, everything is done in its time and place.”