In September 2002 I walked into a cold, damp, and I must say, intimidating LSPU Hall. I sat behind a desk, under which there was a hole bigger than my foot. I put a sheet of Plexiglas under my desk, put my chair on top of it, and proceeded to production manage my first play as Artistic Animateur for RCA Theatre Company. It was Wreckhouse by Frank Barry. Eight years later, in September 2010, I walked into a totally refurbished LSPU Hall, complete with heat, solid reinforced floors, walls, ceilings and roof, a state of the art 198-seat theatre with all new equipment, brand new comfortable seating, beautiful spacious dressing rooms, a 60-seat Second Space for workshops and development, and an inviting glass entrance that implies, “Come on in, there’s something special happening here!” Oh yeah, and air conditioning for those two hot summer days here in St. John’s!
It’s been quite a journey. I feel proud. I am proud of all the artists who have made the Resource Centre for the Arts at the LSPU Hall the prevailing and unique institution that it is. I am proud of the volunteers, many of whom are artists, who sat on Boards of Directors, or did Front of House duties, or swept the floors, or any other task that needed doing to ensure the show went up. I am proud of our funders who believed in our work and put the money down to ensure we had a place to do that work. I am proud of the citizens of our city and our province who vocally agreed with us that “The Hall”, as we affectionately call it, is important and needs to be supported. And supported it was.
We have come a long way in the past eight years. We have garnered much support from our corporate community for example, which allows us to continue to employ artists, and to develop programs nurturing their growth, promoting and producing their work.
Over the years, with the help of funders, supporters and corporate sponsorship, RCA Theatre Company has added several new programs to our roster. Our 2010-2011 Season includes three Main Stage productions, one Significant Other Series Production, two acclaimed national Presentations, a partnership with c2c theatre and Memorial University, two playwriting programs – Write On and The Statoil Youth Playwriting Series, a partnership with ACTRA NL to present the workshop – Acting for the Camera, our Christmas Monologue Writing Contest, several commissioned plays in development, and a partnership with sister companies, White Rooster and She Said Yes! to co-produce the Women’s Work Festival 2011. Check it out here.
Yep, it’s gonna be a busy year but we’re up for it. We have a full team on deck and it feels right. Come on down to the Hall and see a show. It might even change your life. It did mine.
Amy House, Artistic Animateur