A Vancouver theatre company has announced it is leaving its longtime theatre and will be going on hiatus at the end of the year.
Pacific Theatre has operated out of the Chalmers Presbyterian Church (at 1440 W 12th Ave. near Granville Street) for more than 30 years, but that'll come to an end at the end of 2025.
"We have decided to pause programming at the end of December 2025 and vacate our home while we plan for the future," reads a statement on the theatre company's website.
There are a couple of reasons given for vacating the theatre, which is located in a heritage building from 1912.
"The building requires a major structural upgrade (estimated at more than $500,000) alongside water ingress remediation," reads the statement.
The small theatre has a capacity of 128; the size has also posed a barrier for Pacific Theatre.
"The intimate size of the theatre, coupled with restrictions around the number of permitted performances per week, has hampered [our] ability to increase revenue in what has been a challenging recovery period following the pandemic," reads the theatre company's message.
Given the issues, a pared-down theatre season is planned for the fall of 2025. In January 2026, the Pacific Theatre leadership and board will create a strategic plan.
"Please also consider donating to Pacific Theatre. Your sustaining support is more important than ever as we pause and re-imagine," reads the message.
Pacific Theatre has been around since 1984; it was founded as a professional theatre company with a focus on exploring Christian faith. Over the years, it's hosted a number of world premieres of locally produced theatre productions.
