Globus aims to purchase Lakeview Arts Barn
BOBCAYGEON The Globus Theatre group has launched a $2-million campaign to purchase the Lakeview Arts Barn south of Bobcaygeon.
The campaign is more than halfway there with $1.1 million pledged and it could mean the upcoming Globus Theatre 2022 season will be its last as a theatre company in residence at the Lakeview Arts Barn.
But it’s not because company founders Sarah Quick and James Barrett are going anywhere, they’re just buying the place.
“So now, instead of running a venue we can focus our energy in growing Globus,” Quick said Wednesday afternoon during a news conference announcing Globus’ upcoming capital campaign.
The last two years have been incredibly challenging for all arts groups as the COVID-19 pandemic saw shows — and even entire seasons — cancelled and strict limitations placed on audiences, Quick said.
When shows did move forward there was the added cost of extensive cleaning and safety protocols.
Globus managed to pivot and weather most of the storm, including hosting its first outdoor theatre shows in February, but the financial blow to the building was, unfortunately, unrecoverable.
“Although Globus made it through the pandemic, and still has a bright future, the Lakeview Arts Barn did not,” Quick said.
In 2020, the couple remortgaged the facility that is technically leased by Globus — the company is classified as a charitable organization — and, because there were expenses but almost no revenue, the debt load quadrupled over the last two years.
When the third lockdown hit in 2021, Quick and James knew they could not sustain the building which is in need of significant repairs, including a new roof.
The property, located at 2300 Pigeon Lake Rd. off of Pigeon Lake, about 40 kilometres northwest of Peterborough, was put on the market and a town hall held April 22 to discuss options.
Becoming a tenant with a new owner was one, however, it offered no permanency for Globus.
Evolving into a cultural centre for the municipality was another, but this is still in the development stage and it could take years to complete a plan.
The option that made the most sense was for Globus to launch a capital campaign and purchase the building.
“But the $2 million we would need was certainly daunting,” said Quick, adding that in itself was not realistic for Globus.
However, not long after sharing the idea, anonymous donors committed to back the campaign to the tune of $1 million and more than $100,000 has been pledged and donated from stakeholders and supporters.
People can contribute to the campaign online at bit.ly/3l2P5pe.