After more than a few stops and starts, Sudbury's $30-million Place des Arts entertainment venue will officially open its doors on April 29.
In a press release, Alain Richard, chair of the Place des Arts board, states the COVID-19 pandemic not only caused a shortage of labour on the site, but “then a shortage of certain materials and recent roadblocks at the Canada-U.S. border made it difficult to receive what we needed to complete the work early.”
Now that the situation has improved, “we will be able to receive artists and patrons shortly.”
The 60,000-square-foot cultural centre will include a bar and restaurant area with a capacity of 100 people ideal for performances by local artists, a smaller “black box” theatre with 150 seats, and a larger theatre with 300 seats.
There will also be shops for creating theatre costumes and props, artists' studios, and administrative space. In its first year, an estimated 800 events are anticipated to take place at the site, which will not only be used by francophone organizations, but will also be available to other performers and organizations in the city, regardless of their language or culture.
The final work is taking place on the ground floor, mainly in the auditorium, a space with highly specialized equipment and facilities. A new schedule has been established with the contractors to complete the work while respecting the relevant safety standards.
Place des Arts’ cofounding organizations will move into the building at the end of March, while the training of the technical teams and the running-in of the equipment and facilities will take place in April, before the official opening.
The activities surrounding the opening will be announced at a later date.
— Sudbury.com
