The Jenny Belzberg Theatre is now complete at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity and it’s fantastic! I had the chance to take a tour of the newly renovated space.  With now-comfortable capacity of 638, I was truly impressed with each and every aspect of the year-long, $7.1 million project, from the comfortable chairs, accessible balcony seating, the environmental considerations, and incredible acoustics.  I had the chance to speak with Banff Centre Ambassador Jim Olver who will be leading community tours of the theatre over the next month.

 

ROB MURRAY: We’re in the lobby of the brand new Jenny Belzberg Theatre. It is finally complete and it looks amazing. It sounds amazing. You guys must be thrilled here.

JIM OLVER: Thank you very much for saying that. I’ve worked here almost 38 years. I’ve known Jenny Belzberg for 35 of them, and to see the commitment she has to arts and culture in Alberta in Banff is just spectacular. We’ve just had a tour. I was just tingling through the whole thing. The sound is spectacular.

RM: It’s amazing that each little slat in the wall has been acoustically measured to provide the best sound quality.

JO: Yes. We hired one of the best sound designers in the world. White pine was reused wood from a barn in Ontario and he would cut every one for its length, its angle and its thickness. Amazing.

RM: What are some of the other cool new features that people can expect when they can finally get in here?

JO: The biggest one they’re going to notice is the seating. The seating is comfortable. There’s a lot of leg room. There’s width. Guests with mobility challenges are going to love us. We have over 40 specialized spots for people that need special seating. Of course, everyone who has come to the theatre since 1967 has loved the performances and hated the seats. We’re going to get those people back now.

RM: And cupholders!

JO: And cupholders.

RM: I understand Jenny Belzberg herself has actually been in her new namesake theatre. What was her reaction when she first saw the place?

JO: It was tears and pride, and we all shared them with her.

RM: COVID has been, I guess, a bit of a blessing and a curse. You were able to do this in a year when you wouldn’t be able to have shows in here anyway, but now that it’s all done you guys must just really want to have a big crowd of people watching Blue Rodeo or something and you just can’t do that yet.

JO: Not quite yet, but if we behave correctly as a community that date is perhaps not as far away as we think.

RM: You’re going to be hosting some tours here starting November 12th and running for about a month?

JO: Yes. The tours are on Thursdays and Saturdays. They’re open to the public. Just go to our website.

RM: They’re all free?

JO: Yes. You’ll get to see the theatre. You’ll hear some fabulous classical music. You’ll hear some tremendous Mountain Film Festival theme music.

RM: In full Dolby Surround Sound. The sound system in there is great too.

JO: I thought so. It’s a special day for Banff, the Bow Valley, and Alberta.

 

Filed under: Banff, Banff Centre