Qualicum Beach Chamber of commerce manager Judi Ainsworth made no secret of her delight when asked for her reaction to the news that Bard to Broadway planned to return.
“How fabulous is that?” she asked.
While she welcomes the injection of culture into the town, Ainsworth said local merchants will also welcome the cash that theatre lovers will add to the local economy.
“This will have an absolutely positive impact,” she said. “Certainly our restaurants noticed a change right away in their summer business when B2B left, because lots of people come into town, do a little shopping, have dinner and then go to the play.”
Ainsworth said the decision to move the theatre company into the Village Theatre made sense and will not only aid the struggling company, which has had to pare down its summer offerings from four shows to two, but will also enrich the night life of Qualicum Beach.
“The little theatre here is a fabulous facility,” she said. “This is just a really nice shot in the arm, not just for the village economy but for the people who live here, who loved Bard to Broadway.”
Bard to Broadway (B2B) will move back to Qualicum Beach with its summer shows this season, performing for the first time at the Village Theatre.
President of the theatre society Rob Atkinson said the group was unable to negotiate a new contract at their previous site, the Parksville Community and Conference Centre, and Echo Players, he said, was very accommodating about renting out the space at the Qualicum Beach theatre.
“The Village Theatre also presents a nice venue for what we’re looking to do,” he said, “It’s kind of nice to be able to go back to a full theatre for a change.”
After eight years in Qualicum Beach, B2B moved to Parksville. Now after three seasons, the group is returning to Qualicum Beach.
Qualicum Beach Mayor Teunis Westbroek said Bard to Broadway suits the character and quirkiness of Qualicum Beach and he is thrilled residents will once again be able to enjoy the shows.
“It’s suits us like a hand in the glove and I’m glad, so glad they are coming back home.”
Although ticket sales suffered a bit over the past few years, Atkinson said relocating to Parksville may not have been to blame.
“We had a number of good years in Qualicum Beach, but our sales were starting to drop off there even before we made the move to Parksville,” he said. “So its hard to say if it’s an overall market sort of thing or if it had anything to do with the fact that we relocated.”
Atkinson said the start date of B2B’s season has yet to be confirmed, but will most likely happen in early July. The theatre group will perform two shows, a comedy called Murdered to Death and a musical, Anne of Green Gables.