An entire theatre’s worth of props were on sale Saturday as the Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre prepares to leave its decade-long home at the Roxy Theatre.
General manager Rebekah Johnson had mixed feelings as she watched years of accumulated theatre gear leave through the door.
“I think the one that affected me the most was the on-air sign that lit up for when we did our radio plays,” she said. “We’ve had that for a long time.”
Evan Roberts, president of the theatre company’s board of directors, said one never knows what people are interested in buying. “We sold three out of our four bird cages in the first 35 minutes,” he said. “And somebody bought the creepy old doll that looked like Caillou in a tuxedo.”
Emily Friesen, Blue Bridge’s most recent head of props, couldn’t resist snagging Hector, a hollowed turtle that she made for Blue Bridge’s recent production of Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet) at the end of the sale when no one else picked it up.
A pre-sale was conducted on Friday for industry professionals and educators. Blue Bridge’s distinctive neon sign will be given to Brian Richmond, the company’s founding artistic director, as a souvenir.
The non-profit Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre was founded in 2008.
Over 15 years and some 80 productions, it has garnered critical acclaim but often struggled to stay afloat financially.
The theatre company sold the Roxy to the local Strandlund family in 2022 for an undisclosed sum and entered into a three-year renewable lease with purchaser Strandlund Investments Ltd.
The move was to help pay down the company’s debts — close to $1 million at the time — and to fund some much needed upgrades at the theatre.
The Roxy Theatre was a good arts venue before the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson said. “It’s big enough that you can make some money but small enough that you can manage the overhead.”
The theatre company announced in early December that it was vacating the Roxy and liquidating assets to satisfy debts. Johnson said that building owner Rafer Strandlund has been understanding and supportive throughout the process. “There are no hard feelings between us and the landlord.”
While the Blue Bridge was expected to vacate the premises on Dec. 31, they’ve been granted a short reprieve to help clear out the remainder of their assets in the building, she said.
The theatre company will be regrouping in the new year to discuss its future and look for a venue to host its 2024 season, Johnson said. Johnson is not aware of what plans Strandlund may have for the building next, but she said that a loss of the 221-seat Roxy would sting Victoria’s performance and arts community.
Shea O’Connor, an actor who was volunteering at the sale, agreed. “We have limited venues in town.”
O’Connor got her first acting break with Blue Bridge at the Roxy eight years ago and had just closed a Kaleidoscope Theatre production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Roxy on Tuesday.
“I just hope that it continues to live its life as a theatre,” she said. “That’s what it needs to be.”
Strandlund, who could not be immediately reached for comment Saturday, told the Times Colonist in 2022 that there were “no immediate plans” for the site, and that any development could take close to a decade to come to fruition.
