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October 9, 1992 32 pages

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Office, Editorial 985-2131

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NEWS photo Mike Waketleld

THE FIRST of five new ftast-response fireboats arrived in the Port of Vancouver this week. The vessels
turned on their pumps as they sailed under the Lions Gate Bridge, producing a plume of spray and even
a rainbow. The tireboats, two of which will be based on the North Shore, can travel at up to 32 knots and
each contain two fire pumps that have pumping capacities of 1,500 gaflons per minute.

Chronic structural problems, dwindling audiences cited in Presentation House decision

who had a full season planned,

AFTER CLOSING

ifs summer season

weeks ahead of

schedule and losing its theatre director, the Presentation
House Cultural Society board has quietly voted io cancel

its 1992-93 season altogether,
Presensation Ehouse ad-
ministrative director Brigiug
O’Roones said that until the
board can decide the fate of the
theatre at a November planning
session, it “ill be run as a rental
facility fo Community groups.
Untike the much-publicized  fi-
nancial troubles and — personnel
changes at other Vancouverares
arts organizations, Presentation
House has been surprisingly uaht-
lipped about the theaire’s curly
closing and the loss of its director.
Gordon Harris, chairman of

REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE N

or

By Evelyn Jacob

News Reporter

Cultural
yes, sitled

Presentation House
Society's board of dire:
in-an interview that chrome struc:
tural pieblems with the 333 Ches-
terficld Ave. facility were the sma-
jor factar in the bourd’s decision
io cance! the season.
He said the board
over whether to chose
Vancouver theaire’s

“uaponized”’
the North
suntmer

Sa CG ier SUM R AGLO

season early, but that leaks and
stifling het conditions inside the
loQ-seat theatre deft it no other
choice.

Temperatures reaching over
100 1 forced audicnee members to
walk out of the summer produc:
tion OF Haunted House Hamlet,
sand OF Rooney,

the walkout resulted in a
“substamtiah loss at the box of-
free -~ about $20,000, accardiiy
to former direstor Michael beta.

Others in the theatre communi-
ty, however, put that figure at
closer to SS 000,

Harris bhimed the on the
S8-year-old building's structural
problems and suid thes were

foss

eee

sion to resign.

“To ¢his resignaden) was ime-
Iv’ said Plarris. "We were ob-
siously having trouble filling
seats. and it) rafsed questions
about whether we could continue
running the theatre.

“Michael anet with us and the
decision was that ne would resign.
foo be far ta bam te was very dite
ficult to carers direstar
beeuuse Ghoalb the problerns with

Oy ats

the Purlding. 7”
ife denied

(1) fester

Por wats forced
thar Vs

cout

Prat
and tauted
entation House Theatre
fesurected. but only Uae sew
cility Gould be secured.
Pera, wha was appointed
theatre director in the spring and

OR

said he owas not pressured ro
resign. that the decision was a
mutual one between hint and the
board.

“We felt it was time to part our
ways, They (the board) decided
they didn’t want me to run the
theatre, and [ wasn’t happy there.
My year was up. and we decided
Hot fe renew the contracn”

He declined fo say avhe fe wis
unhappy.

But the News has learned tram
at least one board menther thar
bera didn't Miah chowe an
the patter.

Board
Strichan

hase

member Rivhard
revealed | that the board
See NV theatre pave §