The Little Mountain Gallery (LMG) is making a liar out of their name.
The comedy and theatre not-for-profit has found a new home after having to leave its Mount Pleasant home in December of 2021, though it's been a long slog with an uncertain future. They've started holding shows at 110 Water St. in Gastown (substantially north of the Little Mountain neighbourhood), and want to renovate the space into a dual-theatre venue.
Previously they had a 60-seat space; the new location, if all goes according to plan, will have an 80+ seating area, along with a second space that could be a 30-seat theatre or rehearsal space, as needed. Executive director Brent Constantine says they were outgrowing their beloved former venue, and there's a need for a larger LMG.
"We've found this awesome space, we can afford it, there's demand for it," he says. "But somehow even with this perfect situation, it's just not locked in, we're still really nervous about what the city is going to do."
New venue, new issues
After more than a year and thousands of dollars in permit applications, they're still waiting to find out if their renovation plans will be approved.
"As soon as you start doing this and you start going through the city's processes you find their requirements...are just so onerous and you're talking about 100, less than 100 people in a space," Constantine says, noting that it's not just the requirements, but the amount of time needed to communicate with the city.
It's been more than 15 months since they found the new space; at points, he's gone three months without hearing from the city, all with no certainty they'll approve the project.
"We're going to do it no matter what, it's just we'd love to have walls and enough bathrooms," he says.
While the city has arts and culture plans, he adds, there's little support for such organizations to get their venues off the ground.
"It's encouraged to open illegally in Vancouver," Constantine says. "Because it's so difficult and so expensive to open a space."
The alterations planned for the space are fairly simple, he adds, as they'd like to add a couple of walls, four washroom stalls, and an air system. Things could be built quickly, he thinks, and hopes it'll happen this spring. However, permits are supposed to be given first.
Constantine estimates the cost will be around $500,000 for the not-for-profit society. That said, he's "somehow convinced people to give me money to build this weird comedy tree fort place," so cash isn't the biggest issue right now, but long-term affordability does.
"It's just a fight to continue it against these costs that just keep going up without any real support on the other side, which is the processes," Constantine says.
Given the goal for LMG, which has an unusual business model in Canada, is to provide comedians and other performing artists with an affordable space to rent and earn money, affordability is essential. They got lucky with the location; it's owned by BC Housing, which has a mandate to provide affordable rent for services and not-for-profits in the commercial space in its buildings.
"Space is expensive; for our model to work, we needed a space we could afford so the comedians could afford it," says Constantine.
The comedy scene in Vancouver is hindered right now by a few things, he adds, including a lack of comedy-specific venues and an attitude toward comedy that doesn't place it alongside other performing arts. Closures during the pandemic saw a few spaces close, and while restaurants and bars offer stand-up comedy nights, having a comedy-specific venue that is open to a wide variety and more unusual performances is essential, he adds.
That said, LMG is already hosting shows in their new home. While Just For Laughs is in town, they're going forward with Weird Owl Karaoke this weekend, which sees local comedians sing parody songs a la Weird Al. And it's hosted by Weird Owl, a puppet.
