NEWS RELEASE
The Roxy Theatre is finally opening!
Theatre Network hosts housewarming, April 15-16, 2022
Theatre Network is no longer years, months, or even weeks away from opening the Roxy Theatre – the new venue will open in the coming days for a housewarming event sponsored by Group 2 Architecture and Interior Design on April 15-16.
It has been seven years since Theatre Network lost their iconic building and landmark to a fire that devastated Edmonton’s theatre and arts communities. With assistance from all levels of government, Theatre Network’s Board of Directors, and many other generous supporters, Theatre Network raised close to $12 million for the rebuild to bring back the inclusive, multidisciplinary space that will attract thousands of people to the 124 Street Business district each year.
“It’s true when they say that you don’t know what you’ve lost until you have actually lost it,” said Bradley Moss, Artistic and Executive Director of Roxy Theatre. “What I’m so grateful for is the people who helped us to bring it back!”
The new Roxy was designed by Group 2 Architecture and Interior Design to house two performance spaces, as well as a visual art gallery and rehearsal hall. Chandos construction took the lead to deliver the structure which was crowned with a new yellow blocked-letter sign manufactured by City Image Signs last summer.
The Roxy’s main stage theatre was named in memory of Theatre Network’s first Board president who also donated the original building to the company in 1989. The Nancy Power Theatre seats 200 and provides the same intimacy and feel as the former Roxy. The Lorne Cardinal Theatre is a flexible space perfect for theatre productions, live music, dance, film, and art installations. The Miller Art Gallery, sponsored by Syncrude Canada and curated by Jared Tabler will be home to a permanent installation of work by artist Jason Carter.
“The new Roxy is designed to fuel curiosity and ignite self-discovery and reflection,” said Jared Tabler, Board President of Theatre Network. “We have created a place where diversity, inclusion and exploration are celebrated as fundamental values.”
Following the Roxy Theatre Housewarming on April 15-16, Theatre Network will present Crows Theatre’s production of William Shakespeare’s As You Like It, A Radical Retelling by Cliff Cardinal on April 26-May 15. The Roxy Housewarming is free of charge and space is limited.
Tickets for both events are available starting April 11 at 12pm on the Theatre Network Website.
Nextfest – Theatre Network’s sister company and emerging artist festival – will also find its way back home to the Roxy June 2-12, and the Roxy will also join the Fringe as a BYOV (bring your own venue) in August, 2022.
For more information on the Theatre Network and the Roxy, visit https://theatrenetwork.ca/.
– 30 –
Contact:
communications@theatrenetwork.ca
About Theatre Network
Theatre Network is a non-profit, charitable organization operating within the jurisdiction of the Canadian Actors Equity Association (CAEA), and is a member of The Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT and the Edmonton Arts Council (EAC). The company is dedicated to producing and facilitating the development of work that is challenging and engaging, unafraid to question our conceptions of the world we live in, and provides an unexpected and exciting experience. Theatre Network tells Canadian stories by Canadian artists. Our continuing commitment is towards risk, especially where it involves content and the energy that is borne from that kind of risk. Not all of our work is controversial, but we have chosen to welcome controversy, rather than fear it.
About Nextfest
Nextfest shepherds the development of emerging artists. It is curated on the basis of providing development opportunities for emerging professional artists to hone their craft, gain experience, make contacts, and step forward as the future of professional arts. In doing so, we instill in the emerging generation an appreciation for the importance of mentorship. Read more.
