At the University of Alberta standing centre stage inside the newly renovated Myer Horowitz Theatre, Marc Dumouchel recalls taking a water balloon to the face in this exact spot 34 years ago during a student election forum.
“I thought it was the best possible thing that could have happened to me,” he says, looking at the empty theatre.
Luckily, the water balloon was a dud, bounced off without breaking, and Dumouchel didn’t skip a beat in his speech. He won that election (as a vice-president) and the following year’s vote when he ran for president of the University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU).
Up on the catwalk, he points out the spots where students, that same year, poured buckets of water onto unsuspecting candidates as they walked up to the podium. Down in the seats, he recalls coming here as a teenager to see Canadian rocker Kim Mitchell. Closer to the stage, he mentions how he helped put on a rambunctious showing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show when he was a student leader.
“I’ve always been a big believer that a big part of what you learn at university is outside of the classroom. And the theatre is a venue for things like that to happen,” Dumouchel says.
Another more recent memory: Now the general manager of the UASU, Dumouchel and an old college buddy were back in the Horowitz watching a dance recital. The seats were narrow. The foam padding on the chairs was disintegrating, and the 1967-built theatre was showing its age. Dumouchel started thinking about the future of the theatre.
There were more problems than just uncomfortable seating. A fickle 40-year-old A/V system was prone to cutting out, the lights were power-guzzlers, and there was only a single aerial-lift for wheelchair users, which was prone to issues. The whole place lacked space, and shows were slow to turn over due to the cramped and under-powered facilities.
But the Horowitz was not another old building doomed to be bulldozed and rebuilt. Instead, it underwent a 21st-century makeover and expansion.
Walking into the new Myer Horowitz Theatre, the first thing I notice is a brightly lit three-dimensional shape — part sculpture, part feature wall — which drapes like fabric as it flows around the auditorium. Dumouchel calls it “the ribbon.” It’s meant to symbolize opening curtains.
While this detail steals the show, the whole theatre, which was redesigned by Arc Studios, looks modern. Still, it’s easy to find the thread (or ribbon) between the bold design and Horowitz’s mid-century roots — especially with all the things left over from before.
The lobby (now big enough to accommodate the theatre’s audience) has upcycled the same stairwell, many of the same benches or chairs have been refurbished, and the place still isn’t afraid to show a bit of exposed concrete.
Of course, much of what needed to go went. The number of chairs was reduced slightly to accommodate the new, wider, comfier ones. The entire A/V system was overhauled and now sports a new Meyer (no relation) sound system. And accessibility has improved with a new elevator that reaches every floor in the podium of the building.
The renovation also focused on sustainability and an upgraded HVAC system, more-efficient LED lights, and a solar array on the building’s exterior could help the theatre use between 40 and 45 per cent less energy than it used to.
“We view this building as a bit of a laboratory,” Dumouchel says. “About how far you can take these old buildings in terms of making them modern, in terms of their footprint and in terms of the amenities and services they offer.”
When it was built, Dumouchel says the Horowitz was the cutting edge of where Edmonton was. Now, he expects it to be an ideal venue for student life and touring artists of all kinds.
Shortly after its re-opening, the Horowitz hosted a performance from Tegan and Sara. Since then, it’s hosted Letterkenny and a live concert featuring the music of the independent video game Stardew Valley (which sold out). This month, students will be back in classes and using the theatre for movie nights and orientation. Of course, those same election forums will be back later in the year — minus the water balloons.
This article appears in the September 2024 issue of Edify
