While the C4 initiative and Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation continue to have their eyes set on a full scale theatre space to support the arts in Lacombe and area in the future, they have some new plans in the works to make a smaller space available in the meantime.

A rezoning application is before the City of Lacombe with a public hearing set for Monday (March 12th) as the Foundation is in talks with Trinity Lutheran Church on C&E Trail about a potential renovation to their sanctuary to create a performance space.

Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation President Grant Harder explains why a partnership with Trinity Lutheran would be a great fit.

“It’s a central location, there is tonnes of parking, easy to find, easy access, great acoustics, a vestibule if you will, in the front foyer of the church, if anyone’s ever been in there they will know what I am speaking of, and again, we’re just really over the moon about the potential that this will bring Lacombe Performing Arts”.

Harder says capacity at the church would be about 150, while their preliminary design plans for the C4 initiative envision a theatre to hold 550 people.

The group, which still intends to continue raising funds for a larger scale theatre, strives to help provide venues and support for the arts community in the interim, with the new Echo Energy Stage in front of the LMC which was well utilized for music in the park, one of their other recent projects.

Harder says there is a great need for a space to accommodate performing arts in Lacombe and area.

“Right now in Lacombe there is no dedicated performance space for theatre or entertainment.  We rely on spaces like, even though it’s a beautiful building, the Lacombe Memorial Centre, terrible acoustics, a lot of organizations will use different churches around, but none of them are dedicated performance spaces”.

In terms of the C4 initiative, Harder stresses it is very much still alive.

“The C4 Cranna Community Cultural Centre as it originally existed probably doesn’t exist exactly like that, partially because some of the C4 partners have evaporated, but C4 is Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation and Lacombe Performing Arts Centre Foundation is C4, they are interchangeable in our mind”.