Darke Hall reopening ushers in a new era for Regina’s ‘temple to the arts’

The renovated facility is home to state-of-the-art equipment that will allow for more to be hosted at the 'temple to the arts' than ever before.

After over a decade of planning, fundraising and construction, the curtains are again drawn at Regina’s “temple to the arts.”

“Many people grew up performing on this stage. There are so many of us who had careers and just love of the arts using this building,” Darke Hall manager and curator Dawn Bergstrom said Thursday.

“I think we’re going to be able to do that again. There are so many youth who haven’t had that experience and we’ll be able to open it up to them again.”

Planning and fundraising for the latest restoration of Darke Hall, which cost $19.56 million, began as part of the University of Regina’s College Avenue Campus Renewal Project in 2011.

While many of the building’s original features remain intact, newly installed staging, lighting, projection and sound equipment are opening up new possibilities for what has become a pillar of Regina’s arts community over the past century.

Bergstrom said inquiries are already pouring in.

“Before it shut down, Darke Hall had very minimal technical equipment. Most of the time people had to bring their own equipment,” Bergstrom said.