The Conexus Arts Centre, known from 1970 till 2006 (and still largely known) as the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts, is a theatre complex located within
Wascana Centre in
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...
, Canada, which largely replaces former theatres downtown and
Darke Hall
Darke Hall is a 610 seat performance hall located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The hall was named for Francis Nicholson Darke, the former mayor of Regina. Designed by architect J.H. Puntin, the hall was built in 1928 and had its inaugural conc ...
on the original campus of Regina College, also in Wascana Centre but north of Wascana Lake. Naming of the Venue as Conexus Arts Centre was possible through a Partner/Sponsor Agreement with the Conexus Credit Union.
Planning and building
![Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts as first appeared](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Saskatchewan_Centre_of_the_Arts_as_first_appeared.jpg)
Planned and originally funded to commemorate the
Canadian Centennial in 1967, its construction was interrupted by a substantial increase in cost and after the steel frame was put up the project did not proceed further for some years. A substantial reduction in the nature of many intended building materials permitted the project to resume and after the long delay the Centre of the Arts was opened by
Governor General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
Roland Michener on August 24, 1970 to serve southern Saskatchewan as a centre for performing arts and exhibitions as well as university functions including graduation ceremonies of by the adjacent
University of Regina.
![Sask Centre of Arts winter 1980-81](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Sask_Centre_of_Arts_winter_1980-81.jpg)
The building was meant as a
Canadian centennial project but construction ceased after the steel frame was up and was not opened until August 24, 1970 at a cost of $7.7 million, with considerable reduction in the quality and cost of the material for building. Rising construction costs and a lack of additional finances left the unfinished steel structure stalled for almost two years. Engineering students at the nearby
Regina Campus
The University of Regina is a public research university located in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Founded in 1911 as a private denominational high school of the Methodist Church of Canada, it began an association with the University of Saskatchew ...
of the University of Saskatchewan (which became a separate university in 1974) dubbed it the "world's largest
monkey bars
A jungle gym (called a climbing frame in British English) is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of material, such as metal pipes or ropes, on which participants can climb, hang, sit, and—in some configurations—slide. Monkey ...
".
It was completed after cutbacks were made to the original plans, including the exterior cladding. Maintenance and renovation in subsequent decades have substantially brought the appearance of the building substantially closer to the original intention than was initially possible. The
TCU Place was erected in Saskatoon also commemorating Canada's centennial.
Facilities
![The Conexus Arts Centre, Regina, SK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/50/The_Conexus_Arts_Centre%2C_Regina%2C_SK.jpg)
The building, designed by Izumi, Arnott, and Sugiyama, is an
Estevan
Estevan is the eighth-largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. It is approximately north of the Canada–United States border. The Souris River runs by the city. This city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Estevan No. 5.
History
The ...
brick and
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
Tyndall stone structure which houses the Main Theatre (seating 2031), Convention Hall (seating 1400, 1000 for banquets), previously known as Doris Knight Hall,
Hanbidge Hall and Jubilee Theatre; and various conference rooms and lobby display areas. Main Theatre, with three balconies, has a large stage whose front lowers hydraulically to form an orchestra pit for 100 musicians. The centre is the home of the
Regina Symphony Orchestra,
which upon its opening immediately transferred its concert site there from Darke Hall at the original Regina College site of the university; it immediately provided a replacement for downtown cinema buildings which were also theatres for stage plays, such as the Regina Theatre (which had burned to the ground in 1939), Regina Grand Theatre (which closed in 1957) and the Capitol Theatre (demolished in 1992). Regina's
Globe Theatre
The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...
performed in the Centre of the Arts from its opening, but in 1981 acquired permanent space on the second and third floors of the old post office (now renamed the
Prince Edward Building
The Prince Edward Building is the current official (albeit seldom noted) name of the historic post office building in Regina, Saskatchewan, located at the corner of Scarth Street and 11th Avenue. The site had been occupied by the original Knox Pr ...
), the one remaining live theatre facility in downtown Regina.
[See ]Regina's historic buildings and precincts
Many historically significant buildings in Regina, Saskatchewan were lost during the period 1945 through approximately 1970 when the urge to "modernize" overtook developers' and city planners' sense of history and heritage. The old warehouse distri ...
. The Centre of the Arts has alternates hosting duties for
Telemiracle with
TCU Place in
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
.
Activities in the Centre of the Arts
From the time it first opened the Centre of the Arts accommodated world-renowned travelling performers — as diverse as
Monty Python's Flying Circus
''Monty Python's Flying Circus'' (also known as simply ''Monty Python'') is a British surreal sketch comedy series created by and starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam, who became known ...
and
Van Cliburn among many others in its first years — who might have been thought unlikely to visit a small city far from metropolises. As well as serving as theatre and concert hall for both local and travelling performers and graduation ceremonies of the immediately adjacent
University of Regina, it has often been used as a private facility for social functions such as wedding receptions.
It was renamed the Conexus Arts Centre on January 5, 2006 when the Conexus Credit Union (formerly the Sherwood Credit Union) took over the underwriting of part of its operating budget.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Regina, Saskatchewan
Theatres in Saskatchewan
Music venues in Saskatchewan
Performing arts centres in Canada
Canadian Centennial
Tourist attractions in Regina, Saskatchewan