Your Voice: Kelowna needs an up-to-date performing arts space

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Kelowna’s only performing arts space is sixty years old. New paint, new exhibition space, new toilets or new whatever does nothing to erase this reality.

The building was opened in 1963 because the citizens of the day knew that a performing arts centre was essential to both their quality of life and the future growth their city. Undeterred by their meagre budget, they relied on donations and sweat equity and then celebrated their remarkable achievement.

Today, City Hall says they are “revitalizing the facility to ensure it continues to serve us into its retirement years.” Nonsense.

Who would believe that – it’s like putting lipstick on a pig.

Think of how much the entertainment industry has changed in those 60 years – of acoustics, of technology, of presentation, of performance and performers and audience expectations.

The present building falls short in all areas.

City Hall’s failure to recognize the arts and honour them with an up-to-date performance space ignores the reality that the arts are essential to a vibrant quality of life.

Their admission that this 60-year-old building is our “premiere performing arts venue” is shockingly dismissive.

Do they not understand that our human souls cannot live on new roads or beautiful scenery, or our "four season playground" alone?

A healthy vibrant city must also provide facilities for the performing arts so both those who perform, those in the audience and those in the broader community can flourish.

Surely, we’ve grown up enough as a city to warrant a new performing facility that recognizes and acknowledges this.

City Hall needs to show some leadership and run fast to catch up with the citizens who are trying to change this shameful void in our community.

Sharron J. Simpson

Kelowna