Centrepointe flood damage forces Ottawa theatre companies to find new venues

For Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, the loss of a home stage is a major setback, managing director J.T. Morris says. Photo by Spencer Colby /Postmedia

Article content

Article content

With the theatre closed for renovations until the end of 2026, some shows were moved to the other city-owned theatre, Shenkman Arts Centre, in Orléans, while some were postponed until next season and a few were cancelled. Tickets to all shows were automatically refunded by the Centrepointe box office.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Still other presenters made their own arrangements, with comedy shows by Danny Bhoy and Jonathan Van Ness rebooked at Bronson Centre, and a local production of Come From Away finding a new home at a downtown high school (more about that in a moment).

Article content

Article content

But the challenge of finding a new stage with an orchestra pit and enough seats is proving to be huge for the Orpheus Musical Theatre Society, a not-for-profit registered charity that has been producing live operettas and musicals for Ottawa audiences since 1906. It’s the longest-running organization of its kind in Canada.

Article content

To mark its 120th anniversary celebration, Orpheus had a big season planned, consisting of three blockbuster musicals to be staged at Centrepointe Theatre. Season-subscription packages and individual tickets were all selling well ahead of previous years.

Article content

First up was supposed to be a production of Frozen, the Disney movie-turned-musical, running Nov. 20-29, followed by Les Misérables in March and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat next June. Both of those shows were to be staged at Centrepointe, too.

Article content

Article content

But, after seeing photos of the damage, Orpheus managing director J.T. Morris is wondering if the theatre will be ready by 2027. Heavy rain poured down the loading dock, and sewers backed up. A grand piano was ruined, audio gear was destroyed and the Les Lye Theatre on the lower level was swamped.

Article content

Article content

“It was six feet of water in the hallways,” Morris said in an interview, describing images he saw. “The whole orchestra pit filled with water, and in fact, because part of it was open to the stage level, the water came up, spilled onto the stage and then went into the audience. The first few rows of seats seemed to get damaged, too.”

Article content

City of Ottawa officials have not confirmed the extent of the damage, nor the cost of repairs. Morris figures they’re still assessing it.

Article content

For Orpheus, the loss of a home stage is a major setback. Although auditions had not yet started, more than two dozen behind-the-scenes personnel were already in place. According to Morris, it takes up to 150 people, including cast, crew and musicians, to mount a show.

Article content

Perhaps more importantly, advance tickets were selling well, a trend that’s unusual for Ottawa, which tends to be a last-minute ticket-buying market. More than 4,000 tickets had already been sold, with two nights on track to selling out, before the box office refunded them.