‘Everything has a story’

Centennial

Winnipeg

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/03/2024 (619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Where there’s a will, there’s often a way.

At least, that’s what Kelly Hughes is banking on.

Hughes, a longtime community radio DJ and former owner of Aqua Books, is ramping up efforts to get his latest project, the Valiant Theatre, up and running.

“I’ve got my people lined up, my carpenters, plumbers, architects and all that. I’ve been getting quotes,” Hughes said. “We’re mostly doing building code and accessibility stuff. We’re building a bar, new bathrooms, a new exit and a big wheelchair ramp. It’s not that much, but it will be about $100,000. That’s what we need to do. We’re aiming to be open by the fall, but I’m not setting anything in stone.”

Hughes and his brother Todd bought a former church, located at 376 Logan Ave., 10 years ago, with the idea of renovating it into a 100-seat concert and events centre. Originally built in 1891, the building was moved to its current location from Point Douglas in 1901. For its first 50 years, it was a Swedish Lutheran church, and then a Ukrainian Catholic one. Honouring both the building’s past and its place is important to Hughes.

“Everything has a story,” he said. “I’m happy that we can continue to keep this place, not in a religious sense, but having a place that serves the community.”

The road may have been a little more winding than Hughes initially planned, but it looks like the end is getting close.

“When I initially tried to open it, it was going to be about $250,000 to open it, because of our plans at the time, which included a balcony, and a patio, and this and that,” Hughes said, adding, with a chuckle, “But I didn’t have $250,000.”

Hughes, who lives in the old rectory house in the back of the church with his partner, Andy Vaile, speaks frankly about his own struggles with mental illness, which he said have added to the challenges in renovating the old church.

“It hasn’t been on purpose that it’s been sitting here,” he said. “It’s been hard, especially when you need a bunch of money, to go for it.”

Yet while the final push to have the space open has taken some time to materialize, Hughes hasn’t let the space sit idle, either.

“All this time, we’ve been in the community,” Hughes said. “We ran a food cupboard for a year and a half. I give mattresses and couches as a byproduct of my work (as a mover). This is the second-poorest postal code in Canada, we’re right around the corner from the missions. I realized that all these people walking by every day, they have names, they have stories, a thing they do, and I’ve had a lot of interesting interactions.”

With the change in season, Hughes has launched a funding drive, similar in format to those held by local community radio stations every year. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to raise the $100,000 needed for renovation, with a number of interesting perks or benefits available to those who pledge funds at different levels. For example, a $200 pledge will receive a 90-minute session with one of the Valiant Theatre’s writers- or songwriters-in-residence. A $400 pledge entitles one to a four-hour rental of the space. For those with deeper pockets, a $2,000 pledge will yield two tickets to every public event the theatre hosts in its first full year of operation.

“We’re around $13,000 and that’s a great start,” Hughes said. “People are happy to support things they think are important and the things and places they want to see in the community. And there aren’t a lot of places like this in Winnipeg.”

For more information, check out The Valiant Theatre on Facebook.