Gargoyle Theatre hit by vandalism

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This article was published 22/11/2024 (499 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A central Winnipeg entertainment venue had its glass front door smashed by a tossed brick Wednesday evening, disturbing an otherwise quiet hour for owner Andrew Davidson.

“As far as I can tell, whoever did it didn’t enter. It was strict vandalism as opposed to a break-and-enter. Yesterday it was raining and as I entered the lobby (a few minutes after the glass broke), I could see only my wet footprints in the lobby,” said Davidson, who lives in an apartment above the theatre’s restaurant neighbour, Feast.

Davidson, an author originally from Pinawa, opened the Gargoyle Theatre — which he named after his bestselling novel — in 2021, but the venue inside the Mac’s Building on Ellice Avenue has mainly operated as a theatre since 1913 when it began as a silent movie house.

In the three years since its opening — which was delayed by the pandemic and then interrupted by water damage to the roof — Davidson has restored the theatre into a versatile and affordable downtown venue, which he has rented out for fringe productions, Shakespeare in the Ruins performances, and as the home for Ellen Peterson’s Free Theatre project.

Davidson says he will pay for the repairs out of pocket and now has to consider his theatre’s front-facing identity.

“I will have to make a decision as to whether I want to replace the window, or to get a different type of door that doesn’t have a window. In an ideal world, I would absolutely replace the window and replace it with a product called rock glass,” he says.

Davidson says he’s committed to continuing the building’s legacy as a neighbourhood entertainment space at the corner of Ellice and Sherbrook.

“I’m a moment in time of this building’s history. It’s been here long before me, and if my stewardship is good, it will outlast me long into the future.”

ben.waldman@winnipegfreepress.com