The Government of Canada is investing $2.5 million towards the reconstruction of Edmonton’s Roxy Theatre, which was badly damaged following a devastating fire in Jan. 2015. The funding, which is being provided by the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, will go to the Theatre Network Society, which owns and operates the Roxy Theatre.
This funding will support the construction of a new, fully accessible 14,639-square-foot Roxy Theatre, which will rise on its original site, located on 124th Street. The new facility will include a 200-seat black box theatre, an 80-seat studio theatre, a rehearsal hall and a gallery in the lobby.
The original Roxy Theatre was first built in 1938 as a cinema, and was transformed into a live theatre venue in 1990.
“With the support of Canadian Heritage and the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, this investment will help us to take the leap forward towards a new Roxy Theatre. We will now confidently roll up our sleeves and work with Group 2 Architecture and Interior Design towards tendering and then starting construction this spring,” said Bradley Moss, artistic and executive director of the Theatre Network Society, in a press release. “Theatre Network is excited to be back home on 124th Street in Edmonton, and to build a new arts facility that will proudly serve Edmonton and Canada for years to come.”
Since the fire, the Society has relocated to a temporary space in Old Strathcona for its productions and performing arts series.
In 2018, the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund invested $330,270 in the Theatre Network Society for pre-construction design work. Construction is expected to be completed within the next 18 months.
