White Rock council offered warm words – but no assurances – to a White Rock Players Club pitch for sponsorship at Monday night’s meeting.
Noting that naming rights for the club’s theatre, currently the Coast Capital Playhouse, expire at the end of March, club president Dave Baron suggested to council that the city assume the rights for $30,000 per year for a minimum five-year period.
The club is currently seeking $150,000 for upgrades to its lighting, sound and heating/air conditioning systems.
READ MORE: Name that playhouse
Baron outlined that potential benefits to the city would include the city logo and wordmark being featured in all Players Club printed materials, website and social media posts; preferred rates for facility rental for city sponsored events; and partnership with the club in promoting artistic and cultural events in the revitalized uptown area.
The city would not be responsible to staff, operate, maintain or repair the facility, he added.
“Although we’ll happily put any reputable sponsor’s name on the building, we really would like to go back to the traditional name of White Rock Playhouse, to be sponsored by the City of White Rock and to emphasize that we are part of the city,” Baron said following a slide presentation that traced the parallel history of the club and the community.
In response to a question from Coun. Helen Fathers, Baron said that replacing the existing sign – for which the club has received estimates of around $7,000 – would be an additional cost to the naming rights.
“(The theatre) really is the heart and soul of who we are as a community,” Mayor Darryl Walker acknowledged.
“We’re going to accept the information, and then a further discussion will take place about how that fits into our financial piece.”