The Rotary Aqua Theatre has been refurbished and is set to reopen next month.
Rotary Club of Orillia president Allan Lafontaine says plans are in the works for a celebration to mark the reopening during the evening of July 20.
“It’s exciting to know that after all these years, we’ve fixed it up,” he said.
Structural metals were replaced inside the theatre and a new roof line was added to protect the outside of the structure. The theatre has also received some new lighting.
“It’s not the end of everything the theatre needs,” Lafontaine explained. “At least the building’s structure and foundation are complete now.”
In 2016, city council approved aqua theatre renovations worth $225,000. The following year, another $225,000 was added and, as time went on, Lafontaine says, the city has invested a total of about $600,000 in the structure.
The theatre was built 64 years ago by the Rotary club with the support and fundraising efforts of community members. It was important to Lafontaine and the present-day Rotary club to save the theatre in honour of the people who spent time and money building it for the community.
“It would be hard to start a project like that today with the proximity of the water and things like that,” he said. “We thought that we should approach council to make sure the building gets saved.”
The Rotary Club of Orillia wants to continue its involvement in reviving the theatre’s glory days.
“It’s a good community asset,” Lafontaine said. “It’s where people meet, and it’s a free venue that is very important to improving our community.”
In the past, the theatre was used to host live music shows. Lafontaine says at one point it was the centre of the arts and culture community in Orillia.
“It’s always been a place for concerts and musical performances,” he said.
He hopes the theatre’s seating will soon be replaced and a green room will be added. Then, the theatre would be the ideal venue to once again host local artists. In the near future, the venue will host movie-in-the-park events.
“That will come back next year,” Lafontaine said. “I can also see community groups using it a little more, and some of our musical entertainment being down there.”
With the Rotary Club of Orillia continuing to raise money, Lafontaine says the theatre could become one of the more advanced venues in the region.
“We’re realizing that we have a beautiful asset in front of us,” he said. “We just need to start using it more.”
