concert hall for the performing arts
concert hall for the performing arts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Get rid of the sports arena/stadium idea. Let’s face it Ottawa, we are not in the Rust Belt tailgating sausages with light beer every Sunday. The only tackling happening in Ottawa on any given Sunday is at IKEA on busy afternoon. We don’t have a football team, and I don’t think we care to have one. Soccer has been mentioned but that can be played out in Lebreton Flats with the same results I’m sure. The core of a city really does not need another empty arena that will be dynamited in 20 years. Lose it. What I think we do need is some sort of cultural place like a Performing Arts Centre to host the myriad of festivals this city hosts each year. Bluesfest, Jazz Fest, Folk Fest and a pile of other Fests that are constantly getting jammed into inappropriate places. These events are extremely popular and need a proper home. Lets put up a nice concert hall with an outdoor amphitheatre to accommodate the visiting talent and spectators so they’ll want to come back. Summertime open air concerts are fantastic and with proper seating and stage area it could be a popular attraction. Then in the winter season, use the interior concert hall for plays, festival events or concerts. I’m sure we can fill it with an audience that is just the right size between the NAC and ScotiaBank place. Something in between the two would be ideal for acts that usually get ousted to Centrepointe Theatre. Lets put something downtown and bring back the core’s vital signs. Bank Street is a dead zone after 9pm and I’m sure all would benefit from such a venue.