Cooperative dreams: Weyburn's Credit Union Spark Cinema plans take shape

Since the Soo Theatre closed its doors in January of 2018, people have been working to bring a theatre back to Weyburn. For those looking to take in a movie in a theatre, they have had to travel to Regina or Estevan to take in the latest blockbusters.  

The experience, particularly in the larger theatres in Regina, is a lot more than what it used to be. Big, comfy seats that vibrate and shake to go along with the pace of the movie; sound systems that can accentuate every little sound during the movie, and of course, the crisp, detailed images of the movie on the screen.  

The Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative has been working to bring a theatre back to Weyburn for a number of years. It started with the announcement of the cooperative and the purchase of the old theatre. Then the drive for sponsorships, which has been wildly successful. Earlier this year, the old theatre was torn down to make room for the new one.  

It was announced earlier this week, that the construction, and the final design stages, will be overseen by DSI Contracting, a local company with a strong history of projects in the area.  

With the work on the building itself scheduled to get underway in the late spring or early summer of next year, the design will need to be finalized.  

The vision for what will be in the theatre, though, has moviegoers in The Opportunity City excited.  

“The whole thing is going to be state of the art,” said Ryan Janke. He is the president of the cooperative that is behind the theatre project. “We’ll have brand new concessions, brand new popcorn. The screens are going to be bigger and better than the old ones were. We are going to put laser projectors in, so you’ll have the sharpest, brightest image that’s possible.” 

In addition to those elements of the design, there is also what to do during the times of the day when a movie isn’t being shown on the screen.  

“You’re really busy from about six o’clock to eleven o’clock in the evenings, which means you’ve got a wonderful opportunity to do corporate training, or birthday parties, or video games, or any of that stuff,” added Janke. “We’re hoping to have it set up so that you can do that relatively easily.” 

The screens, along with the concessions, and the theatres themselves, aren’t the only things being included in the design at this stage. Janke said there is also a party room currently included, which could help make the birthday party or training events a lot easier to facilitate.  

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