Theatre Calgary ended its 2022-2023 season with some tough questions.
“There was a realization that we weren’t bringing our audience back,” says Maya Choldin, the company’s executive director. The company faced a reckoning: “Are we engaging with the community? Are we engaging with patrons? Are people coming to the theatre? And, when that answer was no, we had to figure out why.”
It’s no secret that life in Calgary has been getting more expensive. At the beginning of 2023, Statistics Canada’s consumer price index found that, as the rest of the country’s inflation rate stayed at 2.8 per cent, Alberta’s rate of inflation rose to 3.4 per cent. The Alberta Living Wage Network calculated the living wage in Calgary in 2023 to be $23.70 an hour, up from $18.60 an hour in 2021.
“One of the leading barriers to people coming to cultural events is price and perception of price,” Choldin says. “I believe that lowering the price and creating a simpler pricing model helps people access Theatre Calgary.”
Enter Theatre For All. Launched at the beginning of the 2023-2024 season, this three-year initiative, set to conclude in 2026, has allowed Theatre Calgary to offer all 384 orchestra-level seats (the main level extending back from the stage — some of the best seats in the house) to all shows at Max Bell Theatre for the subsidized rate of $39 in the debut year and $44 in 2024-2025. “It’s all in an effort to bring back our loyal fans and invigorate a new community of theatregoers,” Choldin says.
Theatre For All was made possible in part by a $3-million donation from Craig and Cara Senyk. In a press release, Craig — also the board chair for Theatre Calgary — said: “This campaign will ensure the sustainability of theatre in Calgary by attracting the next generation and helping develop a new diverse audience.”
The campaign ultimately aims to raise $10 million. Fundraising has continued through private and corporate support and, though it had reached $6.6 million by last July, the ultimate goal is still in sight. “It’s like flying the plane while we’re building it, since we’re still trying to secure enough financial support to underwrite this project,” Choldin says. “It’s tough, but we think this is important.”
The program is also flipping the script on what the lobby of the Max Bell Theatre looks like. “Over half of our audience in 2023-2024 [was] new to Theatre Calgary,” Choldin says. “By lowering the ticket price, we’re building a sense of inclusivity. The generosity of ticket buyers willing to give a little more ensures that their neighbours can also come to Theatre Calgary. It then becomes incumbent upon us to do the work to make people feel welcome when they come.”
The Art Pass also aims to capture this welcoming feeling. This collaboration between Contemporary Calgary and the Calgary Public Library — launched on March 8 of this year — gives library patrons free family admission to Contemporary Calgary’s galleries over a three-week period, administered in the style of a library book loan.
“We had a donor in the community reach out saying they would love to sponsor some memberships,” says Contemporary Calgary CEO David Leinster. “We suggested partnering with the Calgary Public Library, and they thought this would be a fabulous way to deliver memberships concerning accessibility and breaking down barriers in the community.”
The question, then, became how to physically deliver the pass to Calgarians. “Our membership cards look like credit cards and live in your wallet, but how do you put that in the library slot without losing it?” Leinster says. “It became clear that we should make this a book — a ‘travelling guestbook’ of all past visitors.”
According to Calgary Public Library CEO Sarah Meilleur, the Art Pass is similar to acquiring other library materials. “Come to the library and check out one of the Art Pass books,” she says. “The book gives you free access to Contemporary Calgary. It’s an interactive book, so patrons can doodle on its pages when they feel inspired by Contemporary Calgary.”
In his book The Great Good Place, sociologist Ray Oldenburg developed the idea of the “third place” — a space other than home or work for relaxed, cost-free socializing. With more than 780,000 active members and roughly 20,000 daily visitors, the Calgary Public Library is a third place for Calgarians of all backgrounds and income levels. The 110 Art Passes (five books at each of the 21 library locations, plus five on the Libby app) represent a way for Contemporary Calgary’s building also to become a third place.
“I want people to have a Contemporary Calgary membership in the same way they have a membership to the library,” Leinster says. “It’s a resource they have in their city to be inspired, to be challenged or to find joy.”
Meilleur thinks that arts and culture help us understand ourselves and each other. “Arts and libraries are for everyone,” she says. “The joy and excitement of providing free access to Contemporary Calgary is an opportunity for the community to share, learn and discover something they may not have considered before. That’s what the library is all about: feeding curiosity.”
“Accessibility is one of the core values of this organization: physical accessibility, accessibility of content, inclusive programming,” Leinster adds. “If you’re trying to make an organization that is accessible and inclusive to all, then you have to think about the cost.”
Janet Bwititi, director of marketing and sales for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, has similar thoughts on affordability. “The Calgary Phil’s vision is that the Calgary Phil belongs to everyone,” she says.
As part of that vision, the orchestra has several programs for more cost-accessible tickets. One is Cpossibilities, a free membership open to anyone aged 13 to 35. Cpossibilities members can purchase up to two tickets to select concerts for only $15 per ticket. This program has been a part of the Calgary Phil’s budget for more than 10 years. “Young people often think this is their ‘grandmother’s orchestra,’” Bwititi says. “Well, it is their grandmother’s orchestra, but it’s also their orchestra. One of my goals is to have a wide variety of age groups coming in. We want to reflect the city we live in.”
Calgary Phil also offers group discounts, a first-responder discount, and flex passes that allow attendees to see between four and six shows of their choice over the course of the season at a 10-per cent discount.
“The arts are an opportunity to unite people, regardless of how we might view the world,” Bwititi says. “We want to create a welcoming, inclusive space for people of all backgrounds to enjoy the joys of orchestral music, regardless of price point.”
Calgary music lovers can also access discounted programming at Calgary Opera. At the Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, 10 per cent of the seats are available at $40 for every Opera show. There is also an array of discounted subscription options, including a flexible discovery pass and free educational opportunities for “opera-curious” people.
“We have a new series called Serious Family Fun, and another called Unpacking Opera that anyone can come to, regardless of whether or not they have a ticket to our mainstage productions,” says Sue Elliott, CEO and general director of Calgary Opera. The Serious Family Fun events provide interactive activities, arts and crafts for families, while Unpacking Opera is a chance to learn more about the themes of the programmed shows.
“Our context is fundamentally different now than in 2019,” Elliott says. “It’s our responsibility to adjust to that context and ensure that we’re still offering a cultural service and expanding those offerings.”
As far as arts affordability in Calgary goes, there is much to be excited about in the near future. Empowered by a $25-million donation from the Shaw Family Foundation, the Glenbow museum will henceforth be known as Glenbow at the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture, targeted to open in 2026.
“One of JR Shaw’s most cherished principles was to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to excel from the same starting point,” says Glenbow president and CEO Nicholas Bell. “We realized how we could do that would be to remove the financial barrier to make Glenbow the first major museum in Canada that offers free admission for everyone, forever.”
The only paid component will be a single central exhibition gallery, while the rest of the museum will be free for anyone to spend time in and explore. “What it does for kids and families growing up in Calgary is teach them that access to arts and culture is a right, rather than a privilege,” Bell says. “We’re a diverse community, and this is our common backyard. You have to treat it that way, invest in arts and culture, and ensure everybody feels like they belong there.”
As Calgarians continue to navigate a world rife with inflation and cost-of-living questions, creating accessible entry points is crucial for local arts organizations to thrive. It’s a subject that Arts Commons President and CEO Alex Sarian grapples with in his new book, The Audacity of Relevance: Critical Conversations on the Future of Arts & Culture, set to hit bookstores on Oct. 1.
“When you lower the financial barrier and diversify programming, you’re creating an opportunity for people to take a risk and come to a show that they may never have before and fall in love with an organization in a brand-new way,” Sarian says. “It can empower people to have an artistic experience on their terms.”
As Meilleur so succinctly puts it: “Arts are for everyone.” Creating more equitable entry points for Calgarians to interact with theatres, museums and other institutions paints a vivid picture of a sustainable and diverse arts community in the future. As these Calgary organizations are discovering, making the arts more affordable can be the answer to many complex questions — and the starting point for many new discussions.