Students of Dance Oasis perform at the Osoyoos Community Theatre at OSS. (Richard McGuire file photo)
Plans to close Osoyoos Secondary School (OSS) have thrown a wrench into the works of arts organizations that use the Osoyoos Community Theatre at the school.
“At this point I’m not able to sign any contracts,” said Tina Begg, president of the Osoyoos Arts Council, who also chairs the Osoyoos Concert Series.
Normally by this time of year, the acts for the next series in the fall and winter would already be booked and early bird tickets would be on sale, Begg said of the concert series.
Currently only one of the four concerts has been booked and she wouldn’t dare book the other three for fear that the theatre won’t be available.
Begg and Sue Whittaker, curator of the Osoyoos Art Gallery, met last Tuesday with NDP Arts, Tourism and Culture Critic Spencer Chandra Herbert, who came to Osoyoos to discuss the issue with them.
Also at the meeting was Ted Osborne, a director with South Okanagan Amateur Players (SOAP), which also uses the community theatre.
Whittaker said the arts groups didn’t want their concerns about the theatre to interfere with the important issue of keeping the school open.
“That’s obviously the main crisis that we had to deal with,” she said, referring to the school closure. “But on the other hand, I didn’t want this (the theatre issue) to slip by and nobody to bring it up.”
Although the theatre is on school property and has been treated as a school facility, Whittaker points out that $210,000 was provided by Osoyoos and Area A taxpayers, including additional funds from the province, to build the community auditorium at the school in the late 1970s.
According to the Bank of Canada inflation calculator, that funding would be around $700,000 in today’s dollars.
In November 1977, residents of Osoyoos and Area A voted 804 to 373 to have local taxpayers finance the theatre over a 20-year period.
The agreement between the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) and what was then School District 14, however, doesn’t include any clause dealing with possible closure of the school.
It does say that the school board must maintain and operate the facility for the life of the building to a reasonable standard.
It also says that the agreement remains in effect unless both parties decide to terminate it, in which case the facility reverts to the school board.
Asked if she could say anything to reassure community groups they could continue to use the facility, Bev Young, superintendent of schools for School District 53, sent an emailed reply.
“It is really too premature to make any comment regarding the facility,” Young wrote. “If and when the third reading (of the closure bylaw) is passed, the board will begin to deliberate about the future uses of the OSS campus. The board will communicate first with the user groups and with the Town of Osoyoos. Information will be released to the public once decisions are confirmed.
“The board has not yet discussed this issue,” Young continued. “When they meet, they will review all relevant documentation.”
Besides the Osoyoos Concert Series and SOAP performances and rehearsals, a number of other community groups use the facility, even though the school has first rights to use it before 5 p.m.
These include piano recitals twice a year by students of music teacher Janet Marcotte, the Okanagan International Chorus conducted by Lloyd Fairweather, and Dance Oasis among others.
Chandra Herbert said he returned to the Arts Critic portfolio recently and contacted arts groups throughout the province asking if they needed his support on any issues.
When he heard from the Osoyoos Arts Council, he decided to come to Osoyoos to learn about their concerns first hand.
“It seemed to be that decisions were moving fast and my concern is that there didn’t seem to be any provincial voice,” he said. “Certainly I know that MLA Linda Larson made it very clear that she didn’t think it is her job to talk about education in her community. If she’s taking that role in terms of the closure of a pretty important high school, is she also taking that role in terms of protecting a cultural asset, a venue that is important to the community?”
Chandra Herbert said he learned from the arts council that they had not had any word from Larson on the issue.
Chandra Herbert acknowledged that at this point there’s not much he can do except offer moral support, but he said he hopes to be able to speak to Larson and encourage her to engage with local contacts to ensure that the theatre stays open.
“Hopefully MLA Larson will also get involved and say this is important,” he said, noting that the B.C. government claims to be a big supporter of arts and culture.
Begg wrote to the school board on Feb. 9 expressing concerns about the impact of the potential closure of OSS would have on the community.
“The theatre in the senior secondary school is the only venue in our town that makes indoor concerts not only viable, but provides an atmosphere conducive to these types of entertainment presented on a stage whether theatrical or musical,” she wrote. “It’s a known fact that the cultural atmosphere is vital to the wellbeing and fulfillment of community spirit.”
She pointed out that the concert series needs to book performers a year in advance to get quality entertainers. It also needs to acquire funding from grants and sponsorships.
“This requires advance planning and with the issue of closing the school… I sit in limbo not knowing if I can commit and solidify my contracts…”
Begg said the Sonora Community Centre is not conducive to the concert series, even if it might work for a rock concert.
People want theatre seats rather than bleachers, she said.
She is exploring the possibility of using Osoyoos Baptist Church as a possible backup solution.
Right now, the Osoyoos Concert Series is unable to book acts and so it can’t sell early bird tickets, which normally sell until the end of April.
“It’s very disheartening for all of us because this is something we plan on,” Begg said. “I was totally blindsided.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
