The future of the Monarch Theatre is being mapped out by the Monarch 1911 Society. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

Envisions a place for everyone

Theatre manager says they’ll take their time to do Monarch reopening right, as opposed to right now

Sep 25, 2023 | 3:54 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – One week ago the city announced the sale of the Monarch Theatre and the man who will be running the day-to-day operations says it’s been a magical time working to get the theatre open again and mapping out its future.

“The Monarch Theatre is the cornerstone of our community,” says theatre manager Rob Pape of Plugged-In Media.

“So to be able to reignite that with a plan to have everyone involved, we want to make this a place where all of our community feels comfortable. Where we cater to organizations and community groups and non-profits, can have a place where they can go and present their shows, their fundraisers. It’s beneficial for everyone we want everybody to feel like Monarch is home to them and they have an ability to do their things there.”

City council approved the $100,000 sale of the historic downtown landmark last week to the Monarch 1911 Society, a not-for-profit group directed by members of Medicine Hat’s four Rotary Clubs.

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Pape has lots of experience in the entertainment world, overseeing the Medicine Hat Folk Music Club and its annual Tongue on the Post Festival for years.

He says there’s no shortage of ideas for what the Monarch can bring to the community, saying it will remain a movie theatre first and the idea is to add programming to ensure it remains viable. That includes bringing in live performances and doing venue rentals.

A timeline for the reopening remains an unanswered question, but for good reason Pape says. Those involved want to make sure reopening gets off on the right foot and sets the stage for long-term success.

“Honestly the only thing that I can offer is the fact that we’re all working as fast as we can, as hard as we can to facilitate this as soon as we can. We all want to do it right as opposed to right now. We want to make sure this facility is a place for the community to come not just for tomorrow but for years to come. It takes time to set things up like that.”

Pape says he’s received many messages of support and thanks everyone for their encouragement.