A pair of long-established community theatre companies in Surrey and 91原创 have drafted plans to amalgamate to become an entirely new performing arts organization based in 91原创.

The 80-seat 91原创 Playhouse would be home to the merged and companies, following talks between the two over the past year. A joint committee is looking at the viability of the amalgamation, according to Surrey Little Theatre president Sara Lohnes.

鈥淲e are working to put together new bylaws and constitution,鈥� Lohnes said Tuesday (Dec. 1). 鈥淲e鈥檒l be going back to the club members very soon for final approval and a formal amalgamation request.鈥� A timeframe for that is probably January or February, she said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exploratory, but we鈥檙e pretty confident and comfortable that this will happen,鈥� Lohnes added. 鈥淏oth clubs, we鈥檝e talked to our membership, and both clubs are pretty positive about everything, we think it鈥檚 an amazing opportunity to join together.鈥�

Lohnes called it a 鈥渞eally exciting鈥� development for the volunteer-run theatre companies, as 鈥渂oth have struggled鈥� in recent years.

鈥淲e were hesitant at first but the more we鈥檝e spoken with our 91原创 Players team, we鈥檙e all on the same page and all feel the same way, which is great. This has something that emerged as idea about a year ago 鈥� feelers were put out there in the spring,鈥� she added. 鈥淲e were closed with nothing going on (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Being dark since January, this was a good time to explore this and get something done.鈥�

In recent years, operators of Surrey Little Theatre have searched for a new home amid development pressures in their corner of Clayton, on 184th Street at Fraser Highway, on the future SkyTrain route.

The 76-seat theatre, a structure first opened in 1936 as Clayton United Church, was taken over by the theatre group in the 1960s. The city has plans to widen 184th Street, and the building would have to be moved for that to happen.

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鈥淲e have struggled to find a new location within Surrey, and as with many community theatres we鈥檝e struggled to find enough volunteers, too, and having people to run the shows,鈥� Lohnes said. 鈥淎malgamation will help that, absolutely, and with this we鈥檙e looking at doing some improvements to the 91原创 Playhouse that will help us put on even bigger and better shows.鈥�

The Surrey Little Theatre building and land is owned by the non-profit society that runs it, Lohnes noted.

鈥淚t has heritage value, and we鈥檙e talking with heritage groups to see if anyone is interested in it, and it鈥檚 mentioned in the official community plan for Clayton Heights, that (the building) has to be taken into consideration by developers,鈥� Lohnes said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e not at the stage yet where we鈥檙e formally looking to have the building on the market 鈥� that won鈥檛 happen until the spring, after the amalgamation gets formally approved. That will be the next step. We have to create new bylaws and constitution for the new club, and if and when that happens we鈥檒l look at selling the building and land.鈥�

She said the current assessed value of the land is close to $800,000.

鈥淭hat will help financially, to sell that, and we鈥檙e looking at making some improvements to the 91原创 Playhouse, so that will be a big boost for that,鈥� Lohnes said. 鈥淧lus we鈥檒l looking into some grants, to improve the stage there, which will help us do different styles of plays from what we鈥檙e doing now.鈥�

The new 91原创-based theatre company would be 鈥渆ntirely new, with an entirely new name and a new elected board,鈥� Lohnes underlined.

鈥淔or a new name, we have put that out to our membership for ideas, and there was something crazy, like 70-some suggestions, and then we鈥檙e going to put those back for people to vote on, for formal name approval from the government,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat process is ongoing as well.鈥�

, the City of Surrey earmarked $500,000 for the relocation of Surrey Little Theatre in 2023, but Lohnes says the money is no longer on the table.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not in play 鈥� 100 per cent not in play, because we鈥檙e leaving Surrey,鈥� she said.

鈥淲ith the new theatre being located in 91原创 we would not qualify for that funding. But our goal is better, stronger theatre in the Valley and right now we see this as the best way to do that. We just couldn鈥檛 find the right space in Surrey and struggled to find enough volunteers, so this is how both clubs can stay strong as one unit.鈥�

Dave Williams, president of 91原创 Players, said both companies are 鈥渙verwhelmingly in favour鈥� of the amalgamation, but cautioned it鈥檚 not yet a done deal.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been going through the process working toward the amalgamation, taking both of our constitutions and bylaws and merging them, working through all that 鈥� it鈥檚 a big process,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he offshoot is that we鈥檒l probably amalgamate, it鈥檚 certainly a probability, but until there鈥檚 a special resolution for it, it鈥檚 not yet done. We require 75 per cent vote in favour, which is a fairly high margin, but then that also really solidifies that鈥檚 what the membership wants.鈥�

In the small world of community theatre, some people are members of both theatre companies.

鈥淲e share about a third of our membership, so we鈥檙e essentially the same people,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been a member of Surrey, and we鈥檙e sharing a lot of the same people, the volunteers. Our seasons were running basically at the same time, so we were competing with each other for that talent, the people to put on the shows we produce.鈥�

tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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