Future Of Sony Centre, Massey Hall On The Line

::ENTERTAINMENT NEWS WITH A CANADAN TWIST::

::THEATRE NEWS::
LE Newsletter - February 2, 2012

Future Of Sony Centre, Massey Hall On The Line

Source: www.thestar.com - By Martin Knelman

(Jan 27, 2012) Get ready for transformations at two Toronto show palaces with rich histories and priceless memories of the way we were.

Shaping up as the Toronto arts world’s No. 1 horse race in 2012 is the scramble to seize control of the beautifully restored Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, which may soon be up for grabs.

Insiders are already buzzing about which prospective buyers will make a bid for the cavernous 52-year old theatre at Front and Yonge, given indications that the city is prepared to unload it.

Now comes word of a real-estate deal sure to trigger a long overdue facelift for the beloved but crumbling Massey Hall, which has managed to keep going in reduced circumstances at the corner of Shuter and Victoria Sts. in the 30 years since the Toronto Symphony Orchestra moved to Roy Thomson Hall.

The Sony Centre — which began life in 1960 as the O’Keefe Centre and was for a time known as the Hummingbird — faces traumatic change because of a report from the Toronto mayor’s task force on the arts and theatres. The task force singled out the Sony as the one civic-owned theatre that should not be subsidized by the city.

And next month, the city will likely be ready to receive expressions of interest from entrepreneurs who might want to buy or lease this landmark theatre.

Place your bets now on who might take over the splendidly restored 3,200-seat theatre, an architectural treasure.

An equally intriguing prospect is the reinvention of Massey Hall, the 118-year-old concert venue, in the wake of this week’s announcement that it is the lucky recipient of a chunk of land.

The parcel is 5,000 square feet, currently a parking lot fronting on Victoria St., south of the hall. The donation comes from MOD Developments Inc. It’s part of a 20,000-square-foot site that also includes the historic but long vacant Canadian Bank of Commerce building.

It is no secret that Charles Cutts, CEO of the corporation for Roy Thomson Hall and Massey Hall, has long nurtured plans to upgrade Massey Hall: famous for spectacular acoustics along with poor lobby space and seats that seemed okay in 1890.

Cutts says he will be ready to unveil plans in about nine months. My prediction: the new site will be used at least partly to generate revenue to pay for a first-class remake.

Ironically, the Sony Centre has already had its $30 million transformation, equipping it for the 21st century. But since it reopened in October 2010, CEO Dan Brambilla has had a struggle filling the seats, now that the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada have moved to the Four Seasons Centre.

However, Brambilla is hardly alone; selling tickets has been problematic for scores of performing arts organizations in the current economic climate, and the trouble could be temporary.

The Sony’s eclectic programming plays the diversity card in the world’s most multicultural city, with flamboyant spectacles from China and India in its lineup.

If the city decides to auction it off, I predict potential buyers could include Dancap Productions, which needs a downtown home, and Live Nation, the rock concert presenters.

The city may also entertain offers for the Toronto Centre for the Arts and the St. Lawrence Centre. But in those cases, the task force has insisted those venues provide homes for not-for-profit performing companies, whereas the Sony could be a hands-off, no-strings opportunity.

But hold on. Surely the city should consider the options closely rather than auction off the Sony to the highest bidder.

I predict Brambilla will present a strong case to avoid a drastic change of identity. His challenge is to come up with sponsorship and new revenue to enable the Sony to stay afloat without an annual million-dollar subsidy from the city.

Step one: Create a non-profit corporation that would take over ownership from the city.

Like Massey Hall, the Sony Centre is a key piece of Toronto’s cultural fabric. The city needs to secure its future health, not just take the money and run.