The show goes on
- Details
- Published on Monday, October 29, 2018
By Banner Staff
Neepawa Banner & Press
As the Roxy Theatre enters its 30th year of community ownership, the Neepawa Theatre Centre (NTC) board of directors has reason to be optimistic. On Oct 15, the NTC, the volunteer board that owns and operates the Roxy Theatre, held its annual general meeting.
The organization鈥檚 financial statements were presented by outgoing treasurer Audrey Heffell. The official net income for the year was $16,858, but much of that was due to grants secured for the theatre鈥檚 brick repointing project. If both the grants and the cost of Phase 1 of the project are removed, the net profit is just under $3,000, in line with what was recorded in 2017. The previous year, 2017, was a record year in terms of admissions and 2018 experienced a dip of $10,000 or 21 per cent. Rental revenue was also down compared to 2017, as there was no rental for major production this year. Revenue from onscreen advertising was up compared to 2017. Despite reduced income, a profit was maintained thanks to a dramatic reduction in repairs and maintenance costs.
In her report, chair Kate Jackman-Atkinson noted a number well attended special events hosted by the theatre, including free movies for Film Day in Canada and the Manawaka Festival, Jets playoff games and two very well attended Ladies Nights, one of which fell in fiscal year 2018. She also noted an increase in bookings for private events, such as birthday parties. Within the community in general, Jackman -Atkinson said that there seems to be strong support for the theatre.
Jackman-Atkinson also spoke about the theatre鈥檚 major capital project, the repointing of degraded brickwork on the theatre鈥檚 west side. Phase 1, the west basement, was completed in early 2018 and funding has been secured for phase 2, the west exterior. Phase 2 will begin as soon as the weather is warm enough in spring 2019.
In her report, outgoing volunteer chair Michelle Denoon reported that for the coming year, almost all nights have a captain. In 2018, NTC changed the commitment required by captains from one full weekend, to only one night, and having captains select their own teams, something that was already happening. The goal was to reduce the time commitment and make it easier for people to captain. While more are still needed, the change has already helped increase the pool of available captains.
The AGM ended with the election of this year鈥檚 officers. Kate Jackman- Atkinson remains as board chair and bookings chair, Leslee Strelczik remains social media chair and was named the board鈥檚 vice chair, Darlene Dyck remains secretary, Jeff Braun remains facilities chair, Jamie Willis remains digital systems operations chair, Flow Anderson was named advertising chair, Chase Critchlow was named treasurer and Meagan Schmidt was named co-volunteer chair. A second co-volunteer chair and a concession chair will be named at a subsequent meeting. Outgoing chairs Audrey Heffell, Jenna Kilburn and Michelle Denoon were thanked, as were Don Eisner, who left the board earlier this year, and Judy Taylor, whose unexpected passing left a hole at the board table.
Looking forward to the 2018-2019 year, the board is excited about a number of special events and live performances already booked.
Anyone interested in more information about being a captain, volunteering, rentals or advertising can contact the theatre at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 204-841-3104.
