Clayton Park theatre gets $300K for new equipment

The federal government announced a grant of $300,000 to the Bella Rose Arts Centre Society on Wednesday.

Halifax West MP Lena Metlege Diab made the announcement on behalf of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

“With this government support, it’s going to allow the Bella Rose to get state-of-the-art equipment while remaining an affordable, accessible space for arts in Halifax West and in the community,” Diab said.

She said the grant will be given through the Canadian Community Revitalization Fund (CCRF) which was created in 2021 to help communities recover from the effects of COVID-19. 

The Bella Rose Arts Centre, formerly called TheatreHalifax, opened inside Halifax West High School in 2007.

The theatre is a non-profit organization run by a volunteer board of directors. It offers rental space for local artists and schools in the Halifax region.

Amie Moore, the centre’s executive director, said the funding will allow them to upgrade the theatre’s sound and light equipment.

“To stay at the top of the market, we must adapt and upgrade our venue to compete with the newer and larger facilities that are in our midst,” Moore said.

Moore said the theatre’s clients have to rely on third party technical services for their productions. She said this can be expensive and time-consuming for them.

“Upgrades will create a one-stop all-in-one experience for our clients and an enhanced atmosphere for our guests as a non-profit theatre,” Moore said.

She said she hopes different cultural groups will take advantage of the theatre’s upgrades. 

“This gives them a platform and an opportunity to not only present and to work on a professional stage,” she said. “But funding like this helps us keep costs very, very reasonable so that they can afford to present their culture on a professional stage.”

Bella Rose financial director Gary O’Hara said the new equipment will also help the theatre serve its audiences better.

“With enhanced infrastructure here and infrastructure that’s modernized, we’ve been very fortunate since reopening,” he said, referencing the pandemic. “We’ve had many groups that were just waiting to get back.”

The federal government also announced a $234,375 grant for the Lake District Recreation Association. The funding will go towards rebuilding the seating on one side of the Sackville Community Arena. Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook MP Darrel Samson made the announcement on Wednesday.