Miriam Manley, the executive director of the Revelstoke Arts Council, (RAC) said she was thrilled to hear that the Revelstoke Performing Arts Centre (RPAC) will be receiving $128K from Columbia Basin Trust on Wednesday. (CBT)
The funding is part of a Arts and Culture Venue grant PAC applied for earlier this year.
Manley said the grant application process was a community effort completed in conversation with the local school district and the Visual Arts Centre, and that it will help RPAC thrive for the next decade.
“It really has been a community effort,” said Manley.
The CBT money will go to upgrading RPAC’s lighting board, sound system, projector, and to purchasing a free-standing acoustical shell to enhance sound quality for musicians.
Manley said she was approached by members of the community band who complained about the sound quality on stage.
She also said that RPAC’s soundboard was in serious need of being upgraded from analog to digital, and that some of the acts who have been brought in to perform at RPAC have complained about it in the past.
“Our lighting board is not industry standard anymore, and when companies come into the centre to use it there’s always a lot grumbling and complaining,” said Manley. “We want our audiences to get the most out of the performances we present.”
According to Manley the funding will also go to purchasing outdoor lighting for future festivals like LUNA, which is slated for September, and subwoofers for outdoor shows.
The lighting setup and projector at RPAC is also slated to receive some major upgrades.
Manley said the house is going to look significantly better, and that a new HDMI hookup will allow the centre to screen cinema-quality films, greatly increasing the ability of performers and presenters to engage audiences with digital media.
“Shows are going to look better. Shows are going to sound better,” said Manley. “We are thrilled.”
In total CBT dolled out $828,856 to 12 arts and culture venues across the Basin. RPAC received the second largest grant.
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jake.sherman@revelstokereview.com
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