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McPherson Playhouse


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#41 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 10:15 AM

I'm marketed out.  Everybody thinks a market is such a great idea - except any private-sector operator, that can't find a way to make it work.  Which reminds me, I walked through the Hudson market yesterday at 4pm, almost not a sole there.  I bet at the very same time, there were 100 people in Markey on Yates.  I wonder how things are going.


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#42 Mike K.

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 10:19 AM

Yup, the place looked pretty barren last time I was there as well.

 

Going back to the waterfront location for a theater, great cities the world over reserve prime waterfront spots for significant civic buildings and its about time we did as well.


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#43 jklymak

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 10:37 AM

I walked through the Hudson market yesterday at 4pm, almost not a sole there.

 

I don't think the fishmonger is open yet....  :)



#44 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 11:50 AM

I don't think the fishmonger is open yet....  :)

 

Yup, it is, but the green grocer, to be run by Townline I think, is many months away still.


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#45 Mike K.

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 12:08 PM

The fishmonger has no signage yet. I walked by a couple of times thinking they were not yet open for business ...but they were.


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#46 jklymak

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 12:11 PM

^ Well, then I'm surprised they weren't selling any sole...


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#47 Nparker

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 12:37 PM

Hmmm, I think a harbour location is a pretty bad idea actually.  The harbour should be used for things that involve enjoying the harbour, not sitting inside and watching a play or concert.

Yeah that harbour front Opera House in Sydney, Australia has been a real bust all around hasn't it? :squint:



#48 Benezet

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 12:58 PM

Yeah that harbour front Opera House in Sydney, Australia has been a real bust all around hasn't it? :squint:


Looks great on postcards, but they say it sucks as a working opera house. Not to mention it went 1200 percent over budget.

#49 Mike K.

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 01:31 PM

And does it's suckiness relate to its location?

 

I mean how many stadiums are built in bizarre locations yet manage to successfully attract tens of thousands of visitors? And Vancouver's harbourfront conference centre manages to do quite well and the old one managed to do quite well in a waterfront location.

 

A well designed performing arts centre can accommodate several dining establishments along the waterfront, but the key is to have a striking building on our waterfront that draws locals and makes an impact on visitors. We're not going to get that with a modern facility tucked away on a nondescript corner of Blanshard and Broughton.


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#50 Benezet

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 01:52 PM

My point is that it's famous for being a stunning-looking building, not for being an opera house. It would be interesting to see how many people buy tickets because they think the place looks cool (as if it were, say, a restaurant),

#51 jklymak

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 02:15 PM

The Sidney Opera house is very nice looking.  It cost $850 million in today's dollars; the $30 million/y bond payments on that will make the $750k current subsidy a pretty good deal in comparison.  Are you suggesting this would be a good investment for Victoria? 

 

Walk by the MacPherson or Royal any time except for the 30 minutes before or after a show - they are pretty dead.  Is that what we want to put on our waterfront right in the inner harbour?  Shoot, I'd rather a spectacular library, or improved Maritime Museum or anything that would have windows to enjoy the view.  



#52 Benezet

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 02:30 PM

Here's an interesting perspective, from the world of symphony orchestras – what matters most to many concert-goers is actually parking. Now, try telling that to an architect.  :)

 

http://www.fastcompa...verage-consumer

 

 



#53 Mike K.

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 06:15 PM

Walk by the MacPherson or Royal any time except for the 30 minutes before or after a show - they are pretty dead.  Is that what we want to put on our waterfront right in the inner harbour?  Shoot, I'd rather a spectacular library, or improved Maritime Museum or anything that would have windows to enjoy the view.  

Exactly, which is why we should incorporate restaurants/retail into a performing arts centre.

 

The new Vancouver conference centre has commercial and restaurant space to keep the place buzzing during lulls in conference activities. There's no reason why we couldn't have a hive of activity surrounding our harbour front opera house.


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#54 Holden West

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 07:52 PM

The problem with a waterfront performing arts centre is that there is an international airport and seaport just a few metres away making soundproofing a major obstacle.


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#55 jklymak

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 08:38 PM

Exactly, which is why we should incorporate restaurants/retail into a performing arts centre.

 

The new Vancouver conference centre has commercial and restaurant space to keep the place buzzing during lulls in conference activities. There's no reason why we couldn't have a hive of activity surrounding our harbour front opera house.

 

Except there isn't really enough space.  The Royal would go from Wharf Street to almost the edge of the water in the big lot down there.  Or were you thinking somewhere else? 

 

Anyway, I'm not sure how moving the performance centre a couple of blocks would change its profitability. Its not like people stroll along the water and say "hey, I think I'll stop in and see a show", and its not like the existing venues are out of the way.  



#56 jklymak

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 08:42 PM

I walked through the Hudson market yesterday at 4pm, almost not a sole there.  I bet at the very same time, there were 100 people in Markey on Yates.  I wonder how things are going.

 

Off topic, I'm sure, but we were there at lunch today, and it was pretty active.  Easily 100 people...

 

Most of the places are really restaurants.  Its more of a food court.  And some of them look quite good.  We tried Roast, and it was a bit pricey, but very tasty. 



#57 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 04 December 2013 - 08:50 PM

Off topic, I'm sure, but we were there at lunch today, and it was pretty active.  Easily 100 people...

 

Most of the places are really restaurants.  Its more of a food court.  And some of them look quite good.  We tried Roast, and it was a bit pricey, but very tasty. 

 

Oh ya, I'm a Roast fan for sure.


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#58 Mike K.

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Posted 05 December 2013 - 08:27 AM

The problem with a waterfront performing arts centre is that there is an international airport and seaport just a few metres away making soundproofing a major obstacle.

 

Most performances would be in the evening and at night when seaplanes are not operating, so that's no biggie. Think of how much more traffic noise there is adjacent to the Royal or McPherson theaters in their present locations and it's not an issue.

 

Except there isn't really enough space.  The Royal would go from Wharf Street to almost the edge of the water in the big lot down there.  Or were you thinking somewhere else? 

 

Anyway, I'm not sure how moving the performance centre a couple of blocks would change its profitability. Its not like people stroll along the water and say "hey, I think I'll stop in and see a show", and its not like the existing venues are out of the way.  

 

There would be plenty of space. It all depends on how the project is designed.

 

I guess what I'm thinking is locals will go to a show/performance they want to see regardless of where the theater is so long as its in a central urban location but plenty of visitors won't. Now if you flaunt a performance venue on the Inner Harbour for all to see visitors will be intrigued and will be much more likely to partake in a performance. And it certainly won't un-entice locals from partaking in events.

 

Heck, even Nanaimo has a decent harbourfront performing arts centre that blows every such venue in Victoria completely out of the water (no pun) :)


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#59 HB

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Posted 14 January 2014 - 03:42 PM

I picked up 2 Brent Butt tickets today for a show here in Feb



#60 Sparky

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Posted 14 January 2014 - 04:50 PM

^ What did the seats cost you and how close to the stage did you get?

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