In terms of our community, we are the cultural hub for all the indie arts happening in the city. They need venues, and they need rehearsal halls. Our studio space is in high demand for all kinds of new work to premiere. We are never dark. There is always something going on, even in our lobby space. We will have theatres that come, and because they can't afford to have an office space, they use our lobby space. We have three companies that come in. The wonderful part is that they get to interact with each other, and we get to have conversations with them, so we really are a cultural hub in our city.
As I mentioned, we're the home for the national centre for new musicals. Musicals are not sole ventures. You need the book writer. You need the composer. You need all kinds of people as part of the creative team getting this thing up and running. Of course, you need a venue to come to and you need a place.
We designed the program so that in January, we have artists throughout the building. They are creating. Then we do a National Musical Theatre Summit. We have people from across the country and internationally coming to that summit to see the new musicals that are being presented with the idea that they will have a life outside of our national centre for new musicals.
It really is about being the incubator and being the space where people can come and where they can create what they need to create.
You're right that Michael Rubinoff is absolutely a part of that. He is best known as the originating producer of Come from Away. Of course, we all know that is the saddest story in musical theatre because it is one of the greatest successes. It is the most produced musical in North America.
Also, because Canadians didn't invest in it, every time it is produced, Americans get rich. A big Canadian family sits down and watches Come from Away in London, Ontario—it just closed at the Grand last week—and Americans make money. I think that points to our need to invest in these cultural spaces, in artists and in new works.