WEYBURN - A historic announcement to bring movies back to the city was made by the Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative on May 26. Spearheaded by a group of community minded individuals and supported by Cooperatives First and third-party consultants, a feasibility study has been completed and plans are in place for a modern, two-screen theatre in downtown Weyburn.
This theatre will be owned by the community. The Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative is a non-profit organization.
The historic Soo Theatre was purchased and will be the location of the new two-screen theatre. Over the seven decades of its existence, the Soo Theatre served as a gathering point for the community with many fond memories made. Unfortunately, the theatre fell into disrepair and the previous operator made the difficult decision to permanently close the Soo Theatre in 2017. Since its closure, a topic that consistently comes up amongst city officials, residents and Weyburn Youth Council is a lack of a movie theatre in Weyburn.
The new state-of-the art movie theatre will be in the nostalgic location of the Soo Theatre, that will include two screens, concession, plush stadium seating and feature the latest Hollywood blockbusters. The estimated project cost is $3.2 million.
The mission of the Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative is to plan, construct and operate a movie theatre in Weyburn. To help the organization reach their goal, they have announced opportunities of major sponsorship, including $500,000 (naming sponsor), $250,000 (Theatre A sponsor), $150,000 (Theatre B sponsor) and $75,000 (concession sponsor). The Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative can be contacted by email, or online at www.weyburntheatre.com.
