Artist and playwright Sue Rose has been making masks for her next play at her kitchen table, as she has done for years.
But what if she didn’t have to? What if there was a dedicated space for her and other artists like her, so they didn’t have to toil in kitchens and home offices and converted garages or wherever they can find space?
Back in January, Rose and Ryan Slashinsky started thinking about just that. What they came up with was the Bridge, a hopefully soon-to-be non-profit.
Listen to the audio below:
The hope is for the organization to rent or buy space to serve as an arts and culture hub for Tantramar, says Rose.
“ I think anybody who’s tried to do any performing arts in Sackville has always been looking for space. And certainly the theatre community has. So we thought, ‘let’s just go and talk to people.'”
Though Rose and Slashinsky have close ties to Marshlight Community Theatre Company, it’s important to Rose that people know they want the Bridge to be more than just another theatre.
“I don’t want people to think that this is a production company. We’re not focused on producing works. We’re focused on providing a venue for the community.”
That focus on community means Rose, Slashinsky and the other two provisional board members—K. C. Hingley and Jeannette Paul—are hoping to get lots of input from folks in Tantramar who may be looking for just such a venue.
To that end, Rose and team have sat down with around 50 people—from members of the arts and theatre communities, to folks like Matt Pryde with the municipality, to realtors in the area—to talk ideas and possibilities.
They’re also hosting an event this evening, May 26, from 6-8 pm in the Tantramar council chambers. Food will be provided, and everyone is welcome to attend to share ideas, wants and needs, says Rose.
“ I think you always have to start with the why. Why do we need this? Once you know the why, the how is just a series of step-by-step. But we need to know why from everybody.”
In conversation with the municipality, Rose got to see a draft of the Recreation Master Plan, and while she’s happy to see performing arts among the considerations for a potential multi-use facility, she has reservations.
”Not to knock anything, but I would like to see more than a large room which has a low stage at one end and a low ceiling. That’s not what we need.”
For Rose’s part, she wants to see a large, raised stage, as well as a high ceiling to have plenty of space for lights and other theatre tech.
They have looked at two existing spaces: a property on Bridge Street and the old Cattail Ridge Family Market, but both would require quite a bit of initial investment, says Rose.
While still early days for the Bridge, Rose is hopeful after tonight’s meeting the team can press on, get their non-profit status and start planning, with the support of the community.
”We’re already using our time to create this wonderful work, and then we have our mundane life, which carves out a little bit of our time,” she says. “And then we have this precious little time left over, and if we could all together put that precious time, that little time that we have together, we can move this project forward.”
Those looking to attend should RSVP via email to sue@suerose.ca.
