By David Israelson
It’s hard to know what to make of the fast-growing controversy surrounding the Shaw Festival’s plans to replace the Royal George Theatre.
From one perspective, Niagara-on-the-Lake residents should be overjoyed. The Shaw’s plans call for a $150-million overhaul of the site now occupied by the Royal George in the centre of Old Town. The Ontario government, ordinarily not known for its generosity or planning wisdom, is contributing an impressive $35 million.
The existing Royal George has its virtues, but its charm has faded. It’s outdated. There’s an objective need to replace it with something better, roomier, accessible to people with disabilities and with space for the programs and amenities that make the Shaw an international attraction and a pillar of Canada’s cultural life.
To accommodate all this, the new building will be bigger. The Shaw promises a design that would respect the heritage of Old Town and evoke the memory of the theatre front it is replacing.
Some residents see problems already. As with every renewal, something old will be swept away. The new Royal George will be a bigger building, taking up more of the streetscape in one of the most precious sections of Old Town.
There are concerns about sunlight and shadows, the removal of other buildings to accommodate a larger project and construction. The new building may dominate the block. (But so does the beloved Court House across the street.) Construction is expected to take at least three years.
But as with every renewal, something old will be replaced. Much to their credit, the Shaw has been transparent and available to share their ambitious plans.
The meeting held at council chamber on July 8 was a well-meaning and transparent opportunity for people to hear directly about the project and to express their views.
I’m sure there will be more opportunities for NOTL residents and the Shaw to exchange going forward. It’s important to have an ongoing dialogue based on underlying goodwill and trust.
As many local residents are well aware, a lot of people in Niagara-on-the-Lake feel that they get short shrift when development projects come up for approval at town hall.
There’s a perception among many that NOTL is in danger of turning into a mishmash with prison-like winery buildings, projects that cram too many apartments into too small spaces, large, scary hotel projects in residential areas and sprawling, boring housing tracts built where they don’t belong.
I think the Royal George renewal is nothing like this at all. I support building a new theatre. Done right, it will bring new energy and vitality to Old Town and will make both the Shaw and Niagara-on-the-Lake a prized place to live, work and visit well into the 22nd century.
It’s going to take work from all quarters to make this happen. The project’s critics and doubters’ views should be respected, heard and addressed in a reasonable way.
But being reasonable also means getting things done. In their bestselling book “Abundance,” U.S. authors Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson write about how an excess of well-meaning regulations and protective measures often prevent good things from happening.
“Our capacity to see problems has sharpened while our ability to solve them has diminished,” they say.
Let’s not go there with the Royal George. There are encouraging signs. For example, the new Niagara-on-the-Lake Residents Association has come out in support of the Shaw’s revitalization. Yes, they have some suggestions, but they want to see it happen.
By all means, let’s talk and listen. But let’s work together to get a great new Shaw theatre.
David Israelson is a writer and non-practising lawyer who lives in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
