The KMSC Law LLP team in the newly named KMSC Law Performing Arts Theatre

By Liam Verster

Performing Arts

KMSC Law LLP earns naming rights for St. John Paul II school’s theatre

Nov 20, 2019 | 11:15 PM

KMSC Law LLP has partnered with the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools to secure the naming rights of the theatre at St. John Paul II Catholic School, which is now known as the KMSC Law Performing Arts Theatre.

At a special naming right’s ceremony on Wednesday, November 20, the partnership was announced. Managing partner at KMSC Law, Owen Lewis, says this sponsorship has a lot of beneficiaries.

“What we’re hoping to get from this partnership is to allow the community to see what is here, and to give the youth that opportunity to take advantage of this incredible facility. So that’s really what we’re hoping for from this partnership, is to tell that story to the community at large, and to have youth participate in the performing arts here in the community, and to be a small part in helping to support that.”

KMSC Law has been in Grande Prairie for a 100 years, and Lewis adds that they are always looking for ways to support the community and the schools. The law firm has partnered with the Catholic School Foundation in the past with golf tournaments, and Lewis says they’ve been able to broaden that relationship with the sponsorship.

Superintendent of Schools, Karl Germann, says the theatre’s seats can retract and the stage can be dismantled to create more space. There’s also a giant screen behind the stage, which can have a curtain either closed in front of it during performances, or open to display videos and pictures. He says this partnership will bring more opportunities for use in the theatre space.

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“The other day we we’re just talking about ‘Can we live cast some stuffs out of here?’ So how can we kind of deliver things a little differently. Whether it might be a conference space, or for school, or for whatever purpose, there’s a whole variety of endless possibilities that come out of here. And the sound and the light quality is spectacular, so you could actually use to host to different areas, or use to host it right back to Grande Prairie.”

Michael Ouellette, the Chair of the Grande Prairie and District Catholic School Board says it’s fantastic to see the community-minded KMSC come forward and secure the naming rights. He says the money from securing the name will go back into the Catholic School Education Foundation.

“The Foundation will decide on which way [the money] goes. [KMSC] also spoke about having scholarships for the children, I think that will be one of the biggest things. KMSC, they’re very much into the youth, and I’m positive that it’ll go into scholarships.”

The exact amount that KMSC is contributing over the next 10 years to secure the name of the theatre isn’t being disclosed at this time, but it is at least in the six-figure mark.

The state of the art, 350 seat theatre gives students, community theatre groups, dance troupes, and others a chance to take to the stage, and perform. Lewis, Ouellette and Germann all say they are excited to see the partnership give the performing arts a chance to flourish in the community.