After four decades of serving Bonnyville’s arts community, the Lyle Victor Albert Centre is set to be demolished.
The space — which has been home to dance, theatre and music performances —will be torn down to accommodate a new gymnasium for Bonnyville Centralized High School.
The community, about 250 km east of Edmonton, is rallying to fundraise for a new performance space.
In the late 1970s, the building owned by Northern Lights Public Schools, was an old gymnasium that was no longer being used. Members of the local arts community had been looking for a theatre space and found their opportunity.
“They gave us just a beautiful situation of paying one dollar a year for the use of the building,” said Pat Perry, president of the Bonnyville and District Fine Arts Society.
“In return, we designed and paid for renovations, we paid the ongoing cost of the building and all of its utilities.”
A new space for the performing arts
The fine arts society’s ideal location is the Bonnyville and District Centennial Centre — known as “the C2” — and Perry said they’d like to build a separate theatre, which would be attached to the building.
Perry said the community has been enthusiastically on-board. There have been charity golf tournaments and a fundraiser by the local hockey team.
Some of Bonnyville’s famous musical former residents, all of them Lyle Victor Albert Centre alumni, are stepping up to the plate.
“When the word got out that we were raising money for a new theatre, some of the people who performed long ago…and who now have careers in the arts, came forward and wanted to do benefit concerts for us,” said Perry.
Brett Kissel sent a letter of his support to the arts society. (Peter Power/Canadian Press)
Canadian fiddle champion, Daniel Gervais, gave a fundraising concert. So did country artist Mike Plume.
Brett Kissel, who used to perform in the centre’s monthly country opry shows, sent a letter of his support.
On November 2nd, the Juno Award-winning country rock band the Road Hammers will perform for a major fundraiser at the Centennial Centre. Clayton Bellamy, who grew up in Bonnyville, is one of the band members.
Bringing communities together
For decades, the Lyle Victor Albert Centre was the place to learn dance in Bonnyville.
Rosa John has been teaching dance in the building for 35 years. She’s also the artistic director of the Kehewin Native Dance Theatre, about 20 km south of Bonnyville.
“Every year we do a summer youth dance program here in Kehewin on the reserve at our site in our studio. We train kids and then their last performance is at the Lyle Victor Albert Centre every year in August,” said John.
This year, the dance group is performing as part of the Bonnyville District and Fine Art Society’s three days of multicultural programming for Alberta Culture Days, taking place September 28, 29 and 30.
The theatre is set to be demolished around springtime.
“We were heartbroken when we found out. I couldn’t believe it because the theatre has just helped us so much to bring mixed audiences to our performances,” said John.
“That was a huge barrier to break through…It’s really beautiful because this year, we actually probably got half townspeople and half people from the reserve and that’s fantastic.”
Although Perry’s unsure where or when they’ll be in their new space, she says the guiding principles of the ‘Lyle Vic’ won’t waver.
“It always mattered to us that the shows we put on be open to everyone, all the cultural groups, all ages. It was very important to us then, and it’s very important to us now,” said Perry. “I think you gain an understanding of each other when you have good times together, when you see what contributions people can make, you come to understand them better, appreciate them better.
“I think it’s so important for this whole reconciliation idea, and just in general humanity.”