Imperial Theatre hopes to attract bigger names to Port City
CBC
The Imperial Theatre in Saint John is looking to expand its audience by bringing in bigger names.
"Through my 19 years in the industry, I see a lot of artists who are sort of choosing Moncton and Halifax as their big destination spots," said Angela Campbell, the theatre's executive director. She'd like to change that.
Along with continuing to feature local and regional artists, Campbell also wants to bring in names as big as possible for the size of the uptown venue, which has 872 seats.
She said the theatre "tested the waters" in 2017 by bringing in filmmakers Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes, for example, and that show "was a tremendous success."
Campbell said the organization wants to stay relevant as the audience base starts to skew younger, in the 35 to 60 range, as opposed to pre-pandemic when the demographic was closer to 50 to 70.
It took some time for the Imperial to book its first drag queen event to show it could be a viable market and that effort paid off. The show sold out, Campbell said, and now the theatre has no trouble booking those acts, including performers from the hugely popular reality show, Rupaul's Drag Race.
This year, she said the theatre was able to book Jann Arden and Randy Bachman, and she's interested in attracting more artists of that calibre.
Peter Rowan, a Saint John-based manager and promoter with more than 20 years in the music industry, said it's important to get a younger audience through the doors of local venues.
"You need younger people in there to become patrons and to see the value of that space," he said.
"And one of the ways to do that is … maybe someone hasn't been to the Imperial before, but they're sure as hell gonna see Brandi Carlile … or whatever sort of amazing [act] is out there."
Campbell said there is a risk that comes with trying to recruit larger acts — namely a financial one.
The bigger the artist, the bigger the fee, she said.
"We want to make sure that we're staying in tune with what our community is interested in seeing," she said.
"This is our 30th season.… And I think, you know, that the organization has the strength to be able to bear this kind of risk at this point now, you know, to invest in these larger artists."
More Albertans are waiting longer than clinically recommended for critical cardiac and cancer surgeries, sparking concern among health experts and calls for urgent action.
There have been four collisions involving transport trucks in northwestern Ontario in three days, prompting renewed calls for action to address ongoing safety concerns along Highway 11-17.
Ontario’s Progressive Conservatives will huddle behind closed doors at a policy convention this weekend as some Tories question the party’s direction after nearly eight years in power.
The father of a three-year-old girl that was killed after being struck by a vehicle in Cambridge in mid-December says recent charges laid to the driver bring little comfort and relief.
The start of kindergarten can be a time of excitement or anxiety for parents, guardians and children — and also for Prince Edward Island's education officials as they try to staff schools appropriately.
Nunavut Nukkiksautiit Corporation (NNC)’s proposed hydro project is facing some backlash in Pangnirtung.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre will take to the stage Friday for what could be one of the most important speeches of his political career as he tries to convince delegates at the party's Calgary convention to keep him in the job.
As his flight departed from Amsterdam's Schiphol airport en route to Kuwait via Istanbul, Canadian crypto fugitive Andean Medjedovic was unaware that his globe-trotting lifestyle would soon be halted.
One of the largest taxi companies in Toronto will be down to three wheelchair-accessible cabs by the end of March, as advocates and providers say the city is failing to support accessible taxi drivers.
As a deep freeze continues to envelop southwestern Ontario at the same time municipalities deal with a pressing shortage of road salt, there's a renewed focus on finding different ways to melt road ice.
Dave Lawson is a proud Canadian who has bumper stickers that say "Canada is not for sale." He's fed up with grocery products plastered with maple leaves and patriotic logos that turn out to be American imports.
The Town of Badger has issued an evacuation order for some residents as water levels on the Exploits River continue to rise.
The head of a national seniors' advocacy organization says protecting nursing home residents from sexual abuse is an important but challenging issue.