SUBSCRIBE & WIN! Sign up for the Daily CHAT News Today Newsletter for a chance to win a $75 South Country Co-op gift card!

CHAT News file photo

City calls for public input on future of Monarch Theatre

Jan 26, 2022 | 5:04 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The future of Medicine Hat’s Monarch Theatre remains unclear, however the city is hoping the public will help steer the operation onto a new path.

City officials are calling for expressions of interest from the public on how to proceed with the theatre, which was closed last June.

The city’s cultural experiences and events manager, Aaron Nelson, says the hope is to have the Monarch return as a “vibrant anchor of the downtown core.”

The theatre was purchased by the city after the previous owner, the City Centre Development Agency, dissolved last May.

Nelson says a number of options are on the table, including the sale of the Monarch.

“There’s the sale option, there’s the lease option, and there’s the operating option as well, so yeah…we’ll see. And… I have confidence in the creativity of our community and the business community as well, what models (are) out there to make that a vibrant space again.”

Deadline to submit an expression of interest is Feb 28. As well, a viewing of the Monarch is set for interested parties on Feb 10.