Come to the show

Making its programs more accessible is on the agenda for Cranbrook’s Key City Theatre

1 of 2Gerard Gibbs is the managing director of the Key City Theatre in Cranbrook, B.C. — Marie Milner photo

2 of 2The Key City Theatre team: (L-R) Nick Johansson, marketing co-ordinator; Lyndell Classon, bookkeeper; and Gerard Gibbs, managing director. — Marie Milner photo

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Gerard Gibbs, a semi-professional oboist, has found himself a pretty good gig in Cranbrook, B.C. He told us that the closest thing to his heart is live music, and he’s happy to be practising with the back-from-hiatus Symphony of the Kootenays, preparing for the next season.

Gibbs and his Hungarian wife, Melinda, moved to the area in January 2013, and enjoy the nearby skiing options—she likes to downhill and he’s more of a cross-country and snowshoeing type. They and their large dog get out for frequent hikes in the beauty of the surrounding hills.

Settling into his day job

Gibbs spends his days being managing director of Cranbrook's Key City Theatre. He said that it usually takes a year in a position like his to get comfortable and familiar with the lay of the land.

With some staff transitions happening at the Key City Theatre, Gibbs said his job is challenging and exciting in terms of new energy and different points of view. He said it’s important to have open lines of communication with the booking people at other venues in the city, to provide the best possible scheduling of performances.

Planning for easier access to entertainment

With the stated goal of having a full house at every performance, Gibbs is looking at the possibility of lowering ticket prices—and making them available online—to make the Key City events more accessible.

“I think it’s important to step back and look at the bigger picture of what we do year after year, cycle after cycle, rather than concert by concert,” he said. “If a concert has a very high ticket price, it may prevent people from ever seeing that artist, because this may be a one-time performance in Cranbrook.”

Gibbs is aware that some theatres have speaker series, where a community group or business may bring in educational or motivational speakers, and he is open to that kind of partnership.

The theatre’s calendar is already quite full with performance events and community functions, including many put on by district schools. Gibbs said that in terms of programming, personnel and finances, the theatre’s relationship with the schools works very well and he doesn’t plan to tinker with it.

Bringing music into the community

Out of his love for playing classical music, Gibbs started a chamber music group while he was manager of the Empress Theatre in Fort Macleod, Alberta. Celebrated viola player Rivka Golani is a personal friend of Gibbs' and joined the chamber group.

“We had chamber music concerts in a good number of other communities,” Gibbs said, “and we plan to continue that here, in and around Cranbrook. One of the players will be the principal flute from the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.

“(When the chamber group does a production) the musicians will be here for 10 days, and will do some work with the schools. Some of the musicians will billet in private homes and the students will come to some of the rehearsals.”

This arrangement will do much to open the portal between East Kootenay area music lovers and the world of music and musicians.