Blue Bridge Theatre vacating The Roxy, liquidating assets

Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre will vacate The Roxy Theatre by the end of the month and is liquidating assets to satisfy its debts, according to an e-mail obtained by the Times Colonist.

The non-profit professional theatre will cease operations at The Roxy by Dec. 31, the e-mail said.

“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre will no longer be operating out of The Roxy Theatre,” general manager Rebekah Johnson, on behalf of Blue Bridge Theatre Society’s board of directors, wrote in the e-mail.

“The building will return to the landlord and we will be selling off our assets to satisfy our debt in the community.” Johnson could be not reached for comment Monday.

Blue Bridge wrapped its most recent production, a well-received adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery, on Sunday. The non-profit company, founded in 2008, has often struggled to stay afloat, despite critical acclaim for the roughly 80 productions it staged over a 15-year period.

“That was always the challenge with Blue Bridge,” said Brian Richmond, who co-founded the theatre company and served as its artistic director until his retirement last year, but who was not privy to the information that came to light Monday. “We have many stellar theatre enterprises in the city, but Blue Bridge has always presented very high quality work.”

After purchasing The Roxy Theatre for $965,000 in 2013, Blue Bridge moved its performances from the McPherson Playhouse to the building located at 2657 Quadra St. Blue Bridge sold The Roxy in 2022 and entered into a three-year renewable lease with purchaser Strandlund Investments Ltd. Blue Bridge had been carrying a debt of approximately $1 million at the time the building was sold.

Fundraising events, featuring the sale of costumes, props, furniture, lighting and sound equipment, will be held in the coming weeks to help satisfy outstanding debts.

The company has said it will continue.

Blue Bridge is “actively looking for another venue for our 2024 season,” Johnson wrote. “We will be back in touch in early January when we know where we stand financially.”

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