What happens after April 30?
Time’s running out for The Patricia Theatre
BY ISABELLE SOUTHCOTT
T
he clock’s ticking to save the Patricia Theatre. “We’ve known for the past five years that there needed to be a plan to raise the funds to purchase the Patricia Theatre,” said Ann Nelson, who along with her son, Brian and The Patricia Entertainment Company, own and operate the iconic Townsite heritage building and the business. “The mortgage on the Patricia expires on April 30 of this year and there’s no option for renewal,” she said. Ann is tired. She’ll be 79 this year and she’s in poor health. She’s on a waiting list for seniors housing and is more than ready to retire. She and the Powell River Film Society have been working on a succession plan for the Patricia to become a community asset, operat-
SINGLE SCREAM THEATRE: Like small theatres in small towns and big cities across Canada, The Patricia is in trouble. Given its immense historic and cultural significance to this community, it’s worth fighting for. See the next page for how you can get involved. ed for the community by the community. And the Powell River Film Society is ready to take over. There’s just one small problem: they need money. $450,000 to buy the Patricia. “Very soon I will be in default,” says Ann who has been using the money she gets from CERB and her old age pension to pay the mortgage since the theatre was forced to close on March 17 of 2020 when a provincial health emergency was declared due to the COVID pandemic. The business has been “dark,”
Your local window factory
“We don’t want people to walk by that corner and say: this is where the theatre used to be. We want to have a place to show films in Powell River and the Patricia is our last hope for that.” - Gary Shilling
35
years of making windows in
Powell River BC
Improve your home this year with Modern doors and windows Get your quote today
604.485.2451
modern.ca Powell River Living • April 2021 •
53
