Young Centre For The Performing Arts
In 2000 Soulpepper's Artistic Director Albert Schultz was approached by Paul Carder, then the Dean of Business and Creative Arts at George Brown College, with the suggestion that a partnership be struck between Soulpepper and the George Brown Theatre School to create a new performance/education facility.
In November 2001, the Distillery Historic District Project was announced and the partnership of George Brown College (GBC) and Soulpepper immediately began negotiations with the Cityscape Development group to take possession of Tank Houses 9 and 10 creating what would become the Young Centre for the Performing Arts.
The vision of this partnership was to create a performing arts, education and community outreach facility that would be home to Soulpepper Theatre Company with its three-tiered mandate of performance, artist training and youth outreach, George Brown Theatre School's celebrated three-year professional actor training program and Toronto's independent arts community. This facility, in which the performance and education of all performing disciplines would be undertaken, would be unique in the world.
In 2002, the architectural firm of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects was hired to design the centre with Thomas Payne as the principal architect. The design created four flexible, dedicated, indoor performance venues, four studios, two classrooms, a wardrobe production facility, a student lounge, artist garden, and administration offices for GBC and Soulpepper. At the centre of the building is a welcoming atrium which includes a café/bar and fireplace. The total cost of the facility was $14 million and GBC and Soulpepper Theatre Company equally shared the cost. The shared dream became a reality in 2003, when David Young through the Michael Young Family Foundation contributed a lead gift of $3 million to what is now known as the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The facility officially opened to the public on January 15, 2006.
Since that time more than 250,000 people have attended performances at the Young Centre, which has received numerous architectural and design awards.
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