Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity Completes $1.75 Million Revitalization Project in Performing Arts Complex Thanks to Support from the Department of Canadian Heritage and Matching Support from Donors

Spanning the Jenny Belzberg Theatre and the Margaret Greenham Theatre, Canadian Heritage’s Canada Cultural Spaces Fund has allowed Banff Centre to strengthen infrastructure through advanced lighting and sound systems, improved stage engineering and equipment, and other upgrades that enhance safety, reliability, and artistic possibility—while reducing long-term maintenance costs and environmental impact.

BANFF, AB, JULY 8, 2026 – For groundbreaking live performance development and presentations, the support behind the scenes is just as essential as what takes place on stage. In 2025, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity began a major revitalization of the back-of-house features of campus’s performing arts complex, including two multi-use performance venues, transforming the invisible systems that support artists, productions, and audiences into a modern, resilient foundation. 

This revitalization project was made possible through the generous matching support of private donors alongside funding from the Government of Canada through Canadian Heritage’s Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. Together, these contributions ensure Banff Centre remains a leading institution for artistic creation, training, and presentation in Canada and around the world. 

Thanks to this shared investment, the project implemented over $1.75 million in capital upgrades, supporting critical areas such as specialized theatre equipment, sound systems, stage engineering, curtains, and stage infrastructure. 

Staff, participants, and Banff Centre guests are already feeling the impact of this work. In the Jenny Belzberg Theatre, new LED lighting systems have dramatically enhanced colour, clarity, and creative control. These state-of-the-art fixtures provide brighter, more energy-efficient illumination, allowing designers to create more dynamic and immersive visual environments. Investments in stage engineering, curtains, projection elements, and a new sprung stage floor are improving safety, flexibility, and performance quality for participants working across disciplines.

In the Margaret Greenham Theatre, updated sound equipment, including a Meyer Sound system and a DiGiCo soundboard, has replaced aging infrastructure, delivering crisp, powerful audio for concerts, film screenings, and other performances.

These upgrades are more than technical improvements—they are transformative learning opportunities. As a post-secondary institution dedicated to arts, leadership, Indigenous culture, and mountain culture, Banff Centre’s training programs will ensure artists and technicians are exposed to industry-standard equipment that reflects the realities of contemporary production. Access to advanced lighting, sound, and stage systems ensures they graduate with the skills and experience needed to thrive in professional environments. 

Banff Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of private donors, including CIBC, the Kololian Family, The Palmer Family Foundation, Scotiabank, and an Anonymous foundation alongside funding provided through the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, whose collective generosity is transforming our Theatre Complex for the future. 

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada. 

Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au gouvernement du Canada. 

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Carly Maga                             
Director, Communications                         
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity             
tel: +1.403.763.6210                
cell: +1.403.431.3423                
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca  

About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Founded in 1933, Banff Centre is a post-secondary institution built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and leadership development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creative decision-making across dozens of disciplines, from the fine arts to Indigenous Wise Practices. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to move everyone who attends our campus—artists, leaders, thinkers, and audiences—to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to build an innovative, inspiring future through education, performances, convenings, and public outreach. banffcentre.ca

Banff Centre
107 Tunnel Mountain Drive
Banff, Alberta
Canada
T1L 1H5
403.762.6100
www.banffcentre.ca

We recognize, with deep respect and gratitude, our home on the side of Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain. In the spirit of respect and truth, we honour and acknowledge the Banff area, known as “Minihrpa” (translated in Stoney Nakoda as “the waterfalls”) and the Treaty 7 territory and oral practices of the Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda) – comprised of the Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Goodstoney Nations – as well as the Tsuut’ina First Nation and the Blackfoot Confederacy comprised of the Siksika, Piikani, and Kainai. We acknowledge that this territory is home to the Shuswap Nations, Ktunaxa Nations, and Métis Nation of Alberta, Rockyview District 4. We acknowledge all Nations who live, work, and play here, help us steward this land, and honour and celebrate this place.