A pair of TheatreOne shows to be staged at VIU's Malaspina Theatre have been canceled, which could lead to a permanent closure for professional theatre entity TheatreOne. (Submitted photo)

By Ian Holmes

on the brink

Nanaimo’s only professional theatre provider needs late funding infusion or will shut down

Sep 29, 2025 | 5:33 AM

NANAIMO — TheatreOne has hosted live shows in the Harbour City for 42 years, however its curtains could be permanently closed.

Michael Cade, Theatre One’s artistic and managing director, said two pending shows were canceled (Pump Boys and Dinettes & Hotel Vortruba) as the non-profit organization grapples with an increasingly strained financial situation.

He said they managed to slowly restore attendances and cut expenses; however, Cade said a pair of recent grant cuts hurt significantly, resulting in losses topping $20,000.

“We had a program designed to bring absolutely excellent, quality, affordable work to Nanaimo, unfortunately with the loss of this grant we’re just not able to move forward,” Cade told NanaimoNewsNOW.

COVID-19 restrictions hit live indoor events exceptionally hard, resulting in what Cade called cascading negative effects on TheatreOne.

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Cade said TheatreOne did considerable belt-tightening by reducing staff, cutting a program and suspending another in efforts to improve their finances.

“We’re just hovering on sustainability then we get another blow. This last grant denial ($8,000) was simply the final blow for us.”

He said roughly 40 TheatreOne society members will be asked to dissolve the organization during a mid-October meeting if $20,000 doesn’t materialize to fund the rest of this season.

TheatreOne is requesting people wishing to help financially in advance of a Tuesday Oct. 14 public meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the Vancouver Island Regional Library to state their commitment level by e-mailing Michael Cade at: michael@theatreone.ca

The group pledges to offer full refunds for tickets already purchased, as well as return funds contributed by sponsors.

Cade believes a wide range of support will be required to save TheatreOne.

“I think it’s a combination of small commitments, medium commitments and hopefully one or two larger commitments.”

TheatreOne has an annual operating budget of about $224,000 and stages roughly half a dozen shows at a variety of venues around Nanaimo each year.

It benefits from operating grants supplied by the City of Nanaimo and provincial gaming revenue, while Cade said ticket sales are their next biggest revenue driver, followed by fundraising, donations and corporate sponsorships.

Cade said similar-sized cities such as Kamloops and Prince George benefit immensely from a professional theatre company attracting a range of acts to their communities.

“Nanaimo shifting into the group of communities that don’t have access to that is really a sad situation and it’s sad that, as we find in financial downturns, the arts are always the first to be impacted,” he said.

Should Nanaimo lose its only professional theatre company, Cade said the next closest offering would be Chemainus.

“We totally understand that this is a really hard time for people to make additional financial commitments. There’s a lot of fear I think out there about what’s happening financially, particularly with the instability that we’re seeing in the United States.”

Cade noted semi-professional and theatre cooperatives are among alternatives serving Nanaimo’s live theatre community.

More information on TheatreOne is available on the organization’s website linked here.

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