Massey Theatre, New Westminster, 1996-97
Business planning
(with Proscenium Architecture +Interiors)


The Massey Theatre was built in 1948 as part of the New Westminster Secondary School and opened the following year. For most of its life it was, at 1260 seats, the largest theatre in British Columbia outside the City of Vancouver. The theatre was run by the school until the early '90s when the management was transferred to a not-for-profit society. Following the hiring of an Executive Director in 1996, the number of clients and performances grew and revenue ran ahead of expenses. Meanwhile the arts and culture environment of the region was changing. With funding levels decreasing from senior governments, municipalities were considering their role as their populations increase and diversify.

The question the Massey's Executive Director asked us to answer was, "Could the Theatre and its facilities be renovated to become an arts centre". The answer would be important for the future of the Massey, particularly given a proposal to build a new arts centre across the river in Surrey, which, if the project went ahead, would eliminate the Massey from contention as a regional arts centre.

An analysis of the Massey's niche in the regional market revealed that it is ideally suited to the presentation of musical theatre, concerts and other community-produced events which could take advantage of its large capacity. It physical attachment to the New Westminster Secondary School has never been fully exploited in terms of the relationship between arts activity and the education curriculum; new directions in education could create possibilities. In addition, the School District's plan to rebuild the school coincides with the Theatre's desire to become an arts centre. Finally, the City of New Westminster is considering the establishment of an Arts Council and will take a look at the need for an arts centre in the City.

The conclusion of the study was that the Massey Theatre could be renovated to become a regional community arts and education centre for a lot less than it would cost to build a new facility. It would be necessary to convince the Greater Vancouver Regional District that it makes more sense to transform the existing Massey than to build a new facility across the river. The Massey would also need to develop the capacity to raise funds in the private sector, something which it had not been required to do hitherto. The key was that the Massey was well positioned to exploit the opportunities created by population growth, increasing municipal interest and the need to renew a fifty year old building.