Officials explain partnership between Sudbury's STC, YES Theatre

The partnership between the Sudbury Theatre Centre and YES Theatre has many people wondering what it means for arts in the city -- and why it was put in place without consulting the arts community first.

On Wednesday, officials said getting artists on stage and patrons back in the seats -- while maintaining both the STC and YES mandates -- is the vision for the new partnership.

Officials said it’s the coming together of both community and professional theatre. John Dow, co-chair of the STC board of governors, said YES has come a long way.

“The surprise to everybody is that they are becoming a very professional theatre company themselves," Dow said.

"The talent they have for grant writing, the talent they have for the organization skills -- and we have a physical asset. And with respect to the arts community, if we have too many companies, it might work against Sudbury. So we said here’s a natural partnership”

The STC has seen audiences drop from 30,000 patrons annually in the previous decade to now only seeing 3,500 people a year. YES Theatre, on the other hand, remained successful despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We produced in partnership with the Sudbury Theatre Centre 'Bed and Breakfast,' which saw over a thousand people (when) no other production was happening across the country," said Scott Denniston, STC and YES Theatre general manager.

"Then, of course, with the Grotto series we saw over 3,500 people attend, you know, in the month of September. So it's been really positive growth and we just hope to share some of that with the Sudbury Theatre Centre and get this theatre going again.”

Still, many people wonder why there was no community consultation before the partnership was unveiled.

“We have to get to a certain level -- a certain place -- and bring it forward," said Dow.

"As a board, that’s your responsibility. When you get to the point where you now know your concept, you have your vision, you can then take it out and present it to the community. And that’s exactly what we did.”

A community town hall is scheduled for late next month. Organizers said it's an opportunity for members of the artistic community to voice opinions and contribute to the future vision of the two groups.