October 23, 2024

The Fredericton Performing Arts Centre is featured in an article by Alicia Cox Thomson for The Globe and Mail. 

For a city known for its picturesque riverside views and historic charm, Fredericton is about to add another jewel to its crown. The new Performing Arts Centre, scheduled to open in 2026, will be more than just a replacement for the Playhouse Theatre – it will be a transformative space that nurtures the region’s artistic talent and strengthens community bonds through live performances, workshops, and collaborative events.

Since its doors opened in 1964, the Playhouse has been a welcoming space that fosters community engagement, supports local performing arts and provides on-stage entertainment.

However, after hiring consulting engineers to assess the building’s condition in the early 2010s, the theatre’s board discovered that the space needed extensive, expensive work. “We asked ourselves, ‘Should we look at our current needs, and even more importantly, our dreams and aspirations for the future and build for that?’” says Playhouse executive director Tim Yerxa. “And so that initial decision [for a new performing arts centre] was made many years ago, but projects of this size take time.”

The vision for the new centre extends beyond functionality, blending with Fredericton’s existing architectural landscape and playing homage to the region’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.

“Fredericton has a remarkable range of architectural expressions within the downtown district,” says Gary McCluskie, a design architect at Toronto-based Diamond Schmitt, the architecture firm leading the project along with Fredericton-based EXP Engineering. “Materials like red brick connect with the predominant character of the neighbourhood,” he adds. “We were also impressed by the presence of the Saint John River, and we reflected the shape and pattern of the rippling surface of the river in the design of the large glass windows of the lobbies.”

Drawing inspiration from the local surroundings is also reflected in the Performing Arts Centre’s main hall, the larger of two new theatre spaces. The design is based on two interconnected concepts of form and texture, Mr. McCluskie says. “The form of the hall is a semi-circle that opens to the stage so that the audience embraces the performers,” he adds, saying the structure’s interior walls are textured with interwoven panels to represent a woven basket that reflects local Indigenous traditions.

The Performing Arts Centre aims to be more than just an architectural statement – it’s set to become a space where art, tradition and community intersect. This vision is creating excitement within Fredericton’s arts community and beyond. 

Read the full article in The Globe and Mail here.