Province grants Sudbury's YES Theatre $750K to build outdoor venue

Sudbury's YES Theatre is receiving $750,000 from the province to help build a 180-seat outdoor performance venue in the city's downtown core.

Alessandro Costantini, YES Theatre's artistic and managing director, said they came up with the idea to build an outdoor theatre venue in late 2020, when theatres around the world had to close their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"At a time when artists all over the world were just kind of shutting down and theaters were shutting down, this thing came into my life, into our lives," Costantini said.

The new theatre, which will be called the Refettorio, will be located at 131 Durham Street, a site that is currently an empty lot in Sudbury's downtown core.

Costantini said they thought they could build the space for $50,000, but after meeting with an architectthe budget expanded to $2.8 million.

He said the company's vision is for the theatre to be a collaborative space, where other artists can rent the stage, that returns to live theatre's roots in outdoor performance.

"There's something sacred about outdoor theater, right?" Costantini said.

"I think it sort of returns to the same vibes of ancient Greece. With people gathering in an outdoor space under the stars. And something, I guess, that we've really cultivated over the last number of years."

Trails and economic development

In addition to the funding for YES Theatre's new outdoor venue, the province also announced new financial support for Sudbury's Kivi Park and the Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario.

Kivi Park will receive $502,500 to complete a 15.9-kilometre multi-use trail expansion around Crowley Lake and Linton Lake in Sudbury.

Kerry Lamarche, Kivi Park's executive director, said the expansion will complete the vision the park's founder, Lily Fielding, had for the area.

Lamarche said the park hopes to finish the trail expansion in 2023. When it is done, she said Kivi Park will have about15.1 kilometres of walking trails, and 12 kilometres of cross country ski trails.

Lamarche said once the trail expansion is completed, the park will set its sights on future expansions.

"I don't think we'll ever stop growing. but I mean that's the mindset, right?" she said.

"Whether it be expansion of trails or just expansions of products and services that are offered to people and just kind of keeping the Kivi experience dynamic and constantly evolving."

The Conseil scolaire public du Grand Nord de l'Ontario will receive $105,395 to build the French River Youth, Economic and Community Development Centre to support business growth, economic development, and professional and community gathering in French River.

"Through targeted investments, our government is increasing the Sudbury region's economic prospects," said Greg Rickford, Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, in a press release.

"We are keeping Sudbury and surrounding communities current and thriving to successfully compete in today's business and tourism climates."