Shadbolt Centre for the Arts gets go-ahead for $55-million rebuild of James Cowan Theatre

Reconstruction of 1940s performing-arts space to begin later this year, with an estimated completion in 2027

Rendering of the new James Cowan Theatre at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts. Photo courtesy of City of Burnaby

THE SHADBOLT CENTRE FOR THE ARTS’ James Cowan Theatre has just been approved for a complete rebuild by the City of Burnaby, which will provide the venue with long-awaited improvements to space, flexibility, and accessibility.

Originally built in the 1940s as a gymnasium, the James Cowan Theatre was converted into a performing-arts space in 1995.

“This is a great opportunity to upgrade the James Cowan Theatre so that it can continue to play an important role in the vibrant arts, cultural, and community space that exists at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts,” said Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley in a release.

The new 38,000-square-foot theatre, with an estimated project cost of $55 million, will feature 364 seats, an upgrade from the current theatre’s capacity of 285. The seating will be fully retractable to allow for a versatile space that can be converted into a large reception or atrium hall.

Elsewhere in the building, three new classroom studios will be built for visual arts, multi-use, and theatre and literary arts. Because three existing studios will be demolished during the reconstruction, some fine-arts programming is expected to be relocated to the nearby Christine Sinclair Community Centre, Burnaby Village Museum, and other City of Burnaby-run sites over the next few years.

There are also notable changes to safety and accessibility being made. The new structure will be earthquake-compliant with a wheelchair-accessible entrance. The main theatre hall will have a flat floor, and gender-neutral and universal washrooms will be onsite. The existing James Cowan Theatre is not fit for wheelchair use or earthquake-safe.

Along with the James Cowan Theatre, the building complex is also home to a second performing-arts space: the more intimate black-box Studio Theatre, which seats 172 plus an extra 22 in the mezzanine. This space, along with the rest of the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts complex built in 1995, will remain open throughout construction to accommodate for its estimated 250,000 annual visitors.

The Shadbolt will close out its 2023-24 season programming in early May before construction begins later this year. The new James Cowan Theatre is expected to open in 2027.

Featured

Emily Lyth

Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.

Articles

Hunting Matthew Nichols and Kryptic among B.C. contingent as Whistler Film Festival unveils Canadian entries

They’ll be competing in juried Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature at event December 4 to 8

B.C. election 2024: Local arts groups seek greater support from the next provincial government

Advocates say a unified strategy is needed for the arts, culture, and heritage sector

Vancouver celebrates centenary of the birth of renowned late architect Arthur Erickson with a year of programming

The Erickson family and the Arthur Erickson Foundation announce AE100, 12 months of films, exhibits, lectures, and more, launching July 7

UBC Theatre and Film announces 2024-25 season

Three of the city’s most respected directors to helm The Very Book Indeed, The Arsonists, and The Last of the Pelican Daughters

Vancouver mourns the death of dan bau virtuoso Bic Hoang, a "standout musician with a standout instrument and a big smile"

The local artist was the first woman to play the koni, a traditional Vietnamese instrument typically reserved for men

The Dance Centre announces Company 605 co-artistic directors and Margaret Grenier as 2024 winners of Lola Award and Isadora Award

Lisa Mariko Gelley and Josh Martin receive $10,000 biennial prize, while Dancers of Damelahamid artistic director wins $5,000 annual award

Gateway Theatre unveils 40th-anniversary season, spanning a Halloween murder mystery, family-friendly puppetry, and more

Four mainstage theatre shows hit 2024-25 roster, along with celebrations for Richmond Pride Week, Mid-Autumn Festival, and Lunar New Year

Firehall Arts Centre loses bid for $7 million accessibility upgrades in City's Mid-term Capital Plan

In a move opposition councillors called “embarrassing”, Vancouver City Council majority voted to put off exploring future upgrades to the aging facility by two years

Firehall Arts Centre pushes City for $7 million accessibility upgrade

Right now, wheelchair users face stairs and other barriers to attending and working on shows at the historic theatre

Vancouver New Music launches On Curation Mentorship Project, featuring four emerging Canadian curators

Mentors include Raven Chacon, who recently became the first Native American to win the Pulitzer Prize in Music, and Western Front curator-at-large Aki Onda