‘Crown jewel of the performing arts’: Kitchener’s Centre In The Square fills void left by symphony with diverse programming, community outreach
A revitalized Studio Theatre and relaunched summer camps are part of a strategy for growth.
May 5, 2025
Eric Lariviere is the executive director at Kitchener’s Centre In The Square.
Brent Davis/Waterloo Region Record
It’s been more than a year and a half since Kitchener’s Centre In The Square lost its biggest tenant.
The Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony’s surprise announcement that it had filed for bankruptcy in September 2023, just as its season was set to begin, shocked the arts community and the venue the orchestra had called home since 1980.
More than 30 performance dates on the centre’s 2023-2024 calendar were suddenly empty. Pre-pandemic, the symphony had accounted for about 50 dates a year.
“That was a third of the activity and probably half of your set rentals, so it was very significant, the loss, very significant,” said Eric Lariviere, the centre’s executive director.
But in the months since, Centre In The Square has bounced back, with diverse programming, a revitalized Studio Theatre (a smaller performance space) and a strategy to grow both audiences and fundraising revenue.
Lariviere is a relatively new addition as well, having assumed his role in April 2024.
The city-owned venue hosted 92 performances in 2023 and 112 last year, and Lariviere is hoping for between 130 and 150 events and performances this year — a return to pre-pandemic levels, when the symphony was a marquee tenant.
The symphony is rebuilding, too, having seen its bankruptcy annulled in November.
Its musicians have returned to the centre’s stage, in support of the Grand Philharmonic Choir, and presented a few concerts at a Kitchener church. They’ll also perform at the opening night gala at the Elora Festival in July.
And if and when the time is right, Centre In The Square officials say they’d welcome the symphony back on a more frequent basis.
“Hopefully the symphony can have a couple of dates at the centre next year, some of their bigger shows,” said board chair Dan Carli.
“I’d love to see them back. It is a venue that is built for their music. It’s one of the best-sounding music halls in the country.”
Lariviere said Centre In The Square ended 2024 with a $416,000 surplus.
As a not-for-profit corporation and registered charity, that surplus is reinvested for capital purposes such as stage equipment.
The centre receives an annual operating grant from the city, set at about $2.138 million for 2025. Budget documents presented to city council last fall forecast a break-even year as the organization invests in marketing and fundraising infrastructure.
“This is a clear signal we’re investing and developing a business model that will grow and be sustainable for the type of events that we’d like to have,” Lariviere said.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” he said. “Our whole direction right now, it’s all about growth and investment, and it means that we not only need to be successful in having good audiences, but also to engage the whole community to be able to actually raise money.”
Carli said the board supports the strategy. “I think it’s important to build for the long term.”
When Lariviere arrived, he said he wanted to ensure the community’s diversity was reflected in the Centre’s programming.
The 2024-2025 lineup has seen tried and true favourites like Blue Rodeo, the Canadian Brass and Jeans ‘N Classics concerts.
But audiences have also flocked to see Portuguese singer Mariza, or Indian comedian Samay Raina, who sold out the main theatre for two Hindi-language shows.
Both of those acts drew fans from across Waterloo Region and beyond, from the Greater Toronto Area and even border states, Lariviere noted.
“You touch that diversity here, but at the same time you become a destination.”
That serves to bring more visitors, and a broader economic spinoff, to the region as well, Carli pointed out.
Community engagement, which Lariviere feels has been lacking, is also a key priority.
A focus on youth has more than doubled the number of school performances (weekday shows geared to young audiences).
A summer performing arts camp program is being revived this year, with one and two-week sessions designed for ages 4 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12.
“These camps are amazing for the building of skills, working in groups, teamwork, self-confidence,” said Lariviere.
The Studio Theatre, a more intimate space behind the main theatre, has also been reopened.
Formerly a rehearsal space for the symphony until the Conrad Centre for the Performing Arts on King Street West took on that role a few years ago, the studio has been relaunched as a flexible performance space.
The new Kitchener Creates initiative offers rehearsal and performance space in the studio at affordable rental rates.
“We developed a platform to make it accessible, inclusive and diverse,” Lariviere said. “I think there’s a lot of potential.”
Pat the Dog Theatre Creation is one local group taking advantage of the space, and other partnerships are expected to be announced in the coming months.
“I really am excited about the fact that we’re returning the Centre In The Square to what I could call the crown jewel of the performing arts in the region,” Carli said.
“We’re back on that path.”
Brent Davis covers business and breaking news for Waterloo Region Record.
