Esther Short Park’s Slocum House Theatre officially announced plans to close its doors to reorganize and restructure yesterday.
“Our Board of Directors made this decision with heavy hearts,” said Jim Fully, the theater’s board president, in a press release. “But we simply are not able to remain economically viable in this climate of steadily increasing costs combined with audiences who have less and less to spend on entertainment.”
The company’s use agreement with the city of Vancouver, owners of the historic property the theater operates on, recently came up for re-negotiation.
“Understandably, the city needed to increase fees. No one is immune to the economic pressures we are all facing. But a careful review of our finances indicated that, even if there had been no change in our arrangement with the city, we were working with an unsustainable business model,” added Fully.
The board said it remains committed to producing great live theater for local audiences, and looks forward to reorganizing and returning as a new company in the future.
