Genevieve E. Yates Memorial Centre facts for kids
The Genevieve E. Yates Memorial Centre is a special building in downtown Lethbridge, Alberta. It has two theatres where people can watch plays and performances. Building work started on August 15, 1965, and the centre officially opened its doors on May 1, 1966. A local business owner named Deane Yates gave more than $200,000 to help build it. He asked for the centre to be named in memory of Genevieve E. Yates.
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What's Inside the Centre?
The Yates Centre is home to two different types of theatres. Each one offers a unique experience for audiences and performers.
The Yates Theatre
The larger theatre is called the Yates Theatre. It has 500 seats, so many people can enjoy a show at once. This theatre is a proscenium theatre. This means it has a stage that looks like a picture frame. The audience sits in front and watches the performance through this "frame." It's a classic style often used for big plays and musicals.
The Sterndale Bennett Theatre
The second theatre is the Sterndale Bennett Theatre. It is smaller and more intimate, with 180 seats. This theatre is a black box theatre. A black box theatre is usually a simple, dark room. It can be set up in many different ways. This makes it very flexible for different kinds of performances. It's named after Ernest Sterndale Bennett. He was an actor and director. He was also the grandson of a famous composer, Sir William Sterndale Bennett. In December 1974, Ernest Sterndale Bennett was given a special award, a Member of the Order of Canada, for all his great work in theatre.
Art Gallery and Local Theatre
Upstairs, on the mezzanine level, there is an art gallery. The Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge runs this gallery. It shows different artworks for everyone to enjoy. Since 1990, a local theatre group called New West Theatre has made the Yates Centre its home. They put on many shows there for the community.
External Links
- Yates and Sterndale Bennett Theatres
