Amen brother

The reference to Professionals is always without naming any names.

The new Performing Arts Centre will have 800 seats. Can someone tell me what kind of a professional will come to Prince George to perform in front on 800 people. In order to make expenses, and a little bit for a salary they would have to charge huge dollars, otherwise they would go broke.

I once attended a Piano Concert at Vanier Hall put on by a **Professional** and it was attended by approx 27 people. This was an embarresment to the professional, and to the people who put on the concert.

So again, who are the professionals,who would come to Prince George to perform in front of 800 people (Assuming you could get a full house)

My guess is the the Performing Arts Society, do not have a clue, as to who will come to this town. I doubt if they have even given it a thought.

Excuse me, but your assertion that "If we cannot make it with the existing groups and facilities that we have, then prey tell how can we make it by spending another $50 mill and then try and operate the facility?" is a brutal leap of logic at the least, and blatantly dishonest misdirection at the worst.

Many groups are VERY successful at putting bums in seats - Theatre North West, Excalibur Theatre Arts, Judy Russell among them.

Don't use a failing organization to justify why we don't need a solid facility for the very many forms of performance art in PG. (Classical music fails EVERYWHERE in Canada now).

Let's look at our successes and build on those, including some of the great shows that tour to PG, but would be better off (and more) if a proper facility was available.

Culture, especially performing arts, is a VERY important consideration in a recruitment and retention context, as are other leisure and lifestyle opportunities and amenities.

right on, boho.

"The new Performing Arts Centre will have 800 seats. Can someone tell me what kind of a professional will come to Prince George to perform in front on 800 people"

Sure. Just go to any of the web sites for similar sized facilities accross Canada and have a look at who they have as touring performning artists.

I am hooking you onto a site in Richmond Hill Ontario, a brand new facility built in an area where people have a telephone book full of theatres to chooses from within 1 hour drive, so you can bet you sweet bippy that anyone who competes in an environment such as that will have to have their act (pun intended) together.

On top of that, this is a main stage that has an audience capacity of 631.

the facilityhttp://www.richmondhill.ca/subpage.asp?pageid=theatre_facilities

The events:
http://richmondhill.ticketwindow.ca

I'll look around some more for you in some of the hick towns in Canada ... you knwo, the ones people go to because they are small, housing is affordable, nature is right out your back door, they make more money because they are remote ..... and, for most of them they also have ENTERTAINMENT ....

PGSO .... why is it failing? Don't look at poor management. Right??? That would not occur to anyone, would it???

CN Centre .... why are their shows a reasonable success??? .... good management!!! He knows his business.

Maybe classical music lovers can organize a bus trip, luxury coach of course, to go to Van or Edmt. for performances by professionals. Or they could all get together around a radio and listen to CBC-2
Hey, no predjudice here, I enjoy most types of music, in moderation. What's that you say? hippity hop? deth mettul? Hell, that ain't music, that is just unpleasant noise boy!
metalman.

I have been to a few preformances where there has been a bunch of so called professional people in tuxes there to support various causes in PG. When the man asked for a donation of $50.00 there were some of the tuxes put up thir hands but when the real money of $2000.00 - $10000.00 was asked for it was the local buiseness people , loggers ect that came to the party. I suggest if the so called professional people want a symphony or a preforming arts building they should fall off thier wallets and dig deep..

I am not willing to support a performing arts center with my taxes. I would however wholeheartedly support our local library.
The library is an institution that is free and open to all walks of life.

I have a whole lot of issues with a 55 million dollar performing arts center.
Metalman you made me laugh with the bus trip and get together around the radio.
Culture vultures are surely outraged at your suggestions. Sometimes us hicks have the best ideas though.

I read this 3 times & couldn't figure out what "chance" the "ball" was "dropped" on. A little help?

Interesting discussion and I have heard the exact same one in a number of communities over the years...
When we lived in Prince Rupert up until a few years back,we really enjoyed going to the local PAC.
The problem was,there was far too much classical/semi-classical stuff and acts in general that were just not appealing to the MAJORITY of residents.
Far too much off the wall stuff that nobody cared much about.
Or even understood.
At least not enough to buy a reasonably expensive ticket, but there was sure a lot of complaining by the management when no one showed up!
Sometimes the number of tickets sold for an act was embarrassing!
Few came out, directly related to the type of entertainment.
I have to admit,it did seem as though those who were running these shows catered to a very select market and always seemed to be strapped for cash.
That frustrated the hell out of a lot of locals.
When they did have an act that was not just well known,but more suitable to everyone in general,they filled the place up bigtime!
There was also the issue of seating.
Too small they said,and the bigger acts won't come because they can't sell enough tickets.
Building a center with only 800 seats seems counter productive?
Much of what they offered over the 5 years we were there was known by many locals as "music you can't dance to"!
Again,symphony orchestra's are all well and good,but you can't make everyone like that type of music.
Management just has to accept the fact that it will always be a struggle to fill the seats.
Is it about catering to a select market, or is it about catering to a wider market that pays?
The more people who are willing to pay for entertainment,the better the entertainment gets.
Isolating the market to select few is not smart, and it results in a lot of begging for funds.
The type of entertainment at CN Center shows that.
You CAn have both ends of the spectrum,but you still have to pay the bills.
Catering to broader market will provide the funds to also cater to the "select" market.
Everybody wins!
I think it boils down to a management problem!

Interesting discussion and I have heard the exact same one in a number of communities over the years...
When we lived in Prince Rupert up until a few years back,we really enjoyed going to the local PAC.
The problem was,there was far too much classical/semi-classical stuff and acts in general that were just not appealing to the MAJORITY of residents.
Far too much off the wall stuff that nobody cared much about.
Or even understood.
At least not enough to buy a reasonably expensive ticket, but there was sure a lot of complaining by the management when no one showed up!
Sometimes the number of tickets sold for an act was embarrassing!
Few came out, directly related to the type of entertainment.
I have to admit,it did seem as though those who were running these shows catered to a very select market and always seemed to be strapped for cash.
That frustrated the hell out of a lot of locals.
When they did have an act that was not just well known,but more suitable to everyone in general,they filled the place up bigtime!
There was also the issue of seating.
Too small they said,and the bigger acts won't come because they can't sell enough tickets.
Building a center with only 800 seats seems counter productive?
Much of what they offered over the 5 years we were there was known by many locals as "music you can't dance to"!
Again,symphony orchestra's are all well and good,but you can't make everyone like that type of music.
Management just has to accept the fact that it will always be a struggle to fill the seats.
Is it about catering to a select market, or is it about catering to a wider market that pays?
The more people who are willing to pay for entertainment,the better the entertainment gets.
Isolating the market to select few is not smart, and it results in a lot of begging for funds.
The type of entertainment at CN Center shows that.
You CAn have both ends of the spectrum,but you still have to pay the bills.
Catering to broader market will provide the funds to also cater to the "select" market.
Everybody wins!
I think it boils down to a management problem!

Oops! How did I do that?

IMO, the ball was dropped in that we could have stopped this 'perpetual' drain of taxpayers money to a very small special interest group.

I can't wait for the outcome of southern forest companies who believe their taxbills are too high.

[url]http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Third+forest+company+joins+revolt/1772192/story.html[url]

We should do the same. Note to all governments: 'Please provide only the basics!'. Leave me to spend my after tax dollars on frills.. I put my $ where my mouth is. Why can't the symphany.

Why won't governments do this? IMO it's because we could cut govt in half. Maybe we should anyways!

Junco wrote: I would however wholeheartedly support our local library."

You can. They accept donations. :-)

BTW, the library would cost about $40 million if it was built today. In fact, they are looking at a $25 or so million addition. And they have an operating budget of about $3 million, most of which comes from the local community.

Remember, as Harold Moffat said, it is simply a warehouse for books.

Priorities and affordability. Of course everybody wants something new and shiny, like a shiny new PAC as long as the rest of us have to foot the bill.

BTW, our sidewalk needs to be completely re-surfaced! Guess what? No money!!! I twisted my ankle yesterday and now I must walk beside the sidewalk, in the street!
It's now a besidewalk!

First the basics, then we go to the wish list!

Not the other way around! FHS!

The rest of us??????

Betcha any money that if we were going to look at the personal property tax we each pay, generally those whose primary purpose of bitchin' is to stop spending money actually pay the least in property tax.

Maybe a city should be run like a corporation. Everyone has a share based on the investment (tax) they put in and that constitutes the number of votes they get.

"First the basics, then we go to the wish list!"

Nope!!

First the decision of how to determine what are the basics and what constitutes an item that would belong on the wishlist.

"BC Arts Council Provides $5.1 Million in Grant Awards

Individual artists and arts organizations across B.C. will receive $5.1 million in BC Arts Council grants.

The council will award 338 grants to individual artists and arts and cultural organizations representing a range of disciplines including music, visual arts, literature, theatre and dance.

A total of $10.9 million in funding for the 2009/10 Arts Council budget, which includes this round of grants, has been provided through the Ministry of Housing and Social Development’s Community Gaming Grants program."

Has the Prince George Symphony applied for a share of that funding?