The Guild 'has turned the corner' after financial woes for the Charlottetown arts centre, says board

After a couple of difficult years financially, the people who run The Guild say the Charlottetown arts and cultural hub is now out of the woods.

The Guild's board of directors held its annual meeting, which it called a public accountability meeting, Wednesday night to report on the previous year's financials and hear feedback from the arts community. 

Bill Chandler, the board's vice-chair, said the biggest financial troubles are finally behind them and they're hopeful of no more losses moving ahead.

"We think we've turned the corner with a lot of good funding from different government agencies," Chandler said. 

"We're looking at using the space differently and we're doing some renovations, so we're very positive going forward."

It's been almost a year since the City of Charlottetown stepped in to give The Guild $25,000 in emergency funding to keep it afloat.

Staff said at the time that the age and footprint of the building, located at the corner of Queen and Richmond streets in the city's downtown, makes it costly to run.

It was also tough to get people back through the doors after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The board laid off four staff, saving $80,000, but the space had lost more than $337,000 overall from 2020 to 2023. 

Chandler said there have been even more changes since then, including efforts to bring more money into the centre. 

One of the biggest changes is that The Guild no longer creates its own productions. Instead, it now rents the space out on a sliding scale that includes different rates for emerging artists, professionals, and an off-Island rate. 

"We see ourselves more as creating the space and [letting] upcoming artists create the shows that are going on here," Chandler said. 

"Not to say we won't produce shows sometime in the future, but for now it's about making the space as usable and as flexible for as many people." 

The board now leases the art gallery downstairs to the group This Town Is Small. Changes have also been made to the theatre to remove the tiered seating, which makes it more adaptable for different groups or projects. 

'I heard a lot of people caring'

Chloe Goodyear, The Guild's interim executive director, said the board has been applying for as many grants as possible in hopes of renovating to make the building more accessible and improve its energy efficiency so it's cheaper to operate. 

While there will be challenges, Goodyear was happy to see people from the community at Wednesday's meeting providing feedback. 

"I heard a lot of people caring. I think it really shows the importance of The Guild that people are willing to come out and give up their own time to talk about the things that mean the most to them," she said. 

"The arts change … and we think that the current layout of The Guild right now is really responding to the artistic community." 

Goodyear said the theatre space tends to be rented on nights and weekends, so the group is working to find ways to bring in more people during the day. 

The board is also looking for people interested in joining focus groups that will help shape a strategic plan for the future.