An $80-million redevelopment project for the Royal George Theatre is on a tight timeline and any delay could jeopardize its provincial funding, says Shaw Festival’s chief operating officer.

The goal, said Tim Jennings in an interview with Niagara This Week, is to have shovels in the ground by January 2026, with a new theatre substantially completed and handed over to the festival by July 2028. Shows would begin in November and December that year, he said.

In addition, the Shaw Festival needs to have the project substantially completed by the end of March 2028 to meet the requirements of the province’s $35 million funding.

Jennings said if the project is delayed to January 2029 when the theatre is handed over to the Shaw, “we could still have a 2029 season. Any later than that would be problematical.”

And a delay in the project at the planning stage, said Jennings, such as an Ontario Land Tribunal appeal, would put at risk the provincial funding, as well as the ability to meet the 2028 opening target. There is a provision in the agreement with the province that it can extend the funding to March 2029

“Any delay that puts us back eight to nine months would put our grant in danger,” said Jennings.

Jennings said during a media tour of the Royal George Theatre on Wednesday that Shaw officials are attempting to mitigate complaints and concerns from residents about the project. Shaw officials are using a design/build process that saves time as it enters the planning approval stage with the municipality.

Despite calls from some in the community for the current building to be renovated, Jennings says that is a non-starter.

The reality is, the theatre on Queen Street, which was built about 110 years ago and has been subjected to many renovations, can’t accommodate the needs of today’s patrons, said Jennings.

“The new building needs a larger space,” he said. “It has to be rebuilt. And we are trying to be sensitive to the concerns of the people.”

The structure was originally constructed as a temporary facility for the military and over the century has been a lecture hall, film house and hosted vaudeville and other theatrical shows.

While the building does not have a heritage designation, it is located within the Queen-Picton Heritage Conservation District.

The new building, which encompasses properties at 178 and 188 Victoria St., and 79 and 83 Queen St., would provide a 360-seat theatre, an increase of 15 seats and a rehearsal studio. A café that is now located in the basement of the theatre would be moved upstairs within a larger lobby space. Also included are meeting rooms, offices and support production facilities for cast and costumes. The Shaw organization has applied to merge the four properties into one title.

Jennings said the buildings that will be demolished “were stripped of their heritage (items) long ago.”

188 Victoria St. for instance, was a pizza shop before Shaw purchased it, while 178 Victoria St. has been “severely” renovated over the years, he said.

“We have spent the last 10 years on this project,” said Jennings. “This is not just any development, it is a generational project.”

Jennings said the larger building would be set back further from the street, allowing landscaping and design features to minimize its impact on the surrounding neighbourhood.

Visitors tour Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre during a community consultation open house on Wednesday. About 90 people registered to take part.

“I think we can do better to minimize the intrusiveness,” he said.

In an attempt to answer questions and receive feedback from residents, Shaw officials held an open house for media and residents Wednesday that attracted over 90 registered participants. They were shown a lobby that can barely accommodate 10 people; stairs that lead upstairs and into the theatre; little to no accessible access to washrooms and to seating; cramped spaces for actors and technicians; a basement that constantly floods and that the Shaw Festival has spent millions of dollars fixing over the years.

A larger theatre, said Shaw Festival officials, would provide wider rows and accessible seating.

There is an elevator outside the building and with the help of an usher, a person with accessibility issues can enter the facility, avoiding the lobby and its stairs.

Shaw Festival chief executive Tim Jennings shows the small rooms contained in the Royal George Theatre’s fly tower during a public open house on Wednesday.

“There’s no way to get up or down (for people with accessible devices) from the seating (area),” said Jennings during the tour. “It’s not something I want to see for other people.”

The proposed five-and-a-half feet addition or 1.6 metres to the fly tower — raising the height of the building to 19 metres — and a four-metre increase to the pediment for a total height of 14 metres, would raise the ground floor above the water table to help mitigate flooding issues.

Jennings said the new theatre will be two-storeys along the Victoria Street neighbourhood, while along Queen Street the building will also be two storeys. The fly tower will be set back from the street to reduce the taller building’s visual impact. There will also be design introductions that mitigate the massing, including green walls, and colour choices.

“We are also making sure mature trees are not removed,” he said.

The added space to the fly tower will accommodate a new elevator and improve accessibility for the crew and artists.

Jennings said the new building will be a carbon neutral structure with geothermal wells, mass timber and photovoltaics.

Jennings said during the tour the architectural design of the new theatre and how it impacts the streetscape “remains in process.”

“We are thinking a lot about design. It’s why we are taking community feedback. We want to hear from the people on how to make it work,” said Jennings.

Jon Taylor, co-chair of Govan Brown Group, involved in the construction project, said the idea is to “bring the community” into the construction phase of the new theatre “so they understand what is happening.”

That could include installing cameras at the site, providing tours, and establishing a liaison with the neighbourhood.

“People have a natural curiosity about what is going on,” said Taylor, during the tour. “We want to make sure we have a very proactive communication program so (residents) have an understanding when it will be noisy and when it will be dusty work.”

By Kevin Werner for www.niagarathisweek.com.

Photo: Shaw Festival Executive Director Tim Jennings in front of the Royal George Theatre. © 2025.