E.A. Rawlinson Centre takes guests behind the scenes for 10th Anniversary

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However, as history shows, that isn’t quite how it ended up.

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McCaffery pointed out during the tour of the centre that a riverfront view is still there, thanks to a city law that disallows any developments that would block the space between.

As the CEO of Star Development Corporation, which runs the Arts Centre on behalf of the Arts Board, McCaffery has been very involved with the centre off the start.

A major part was raising the funds for the $12.8 million building. $4 million of that came from the federal government, $4 million from the province, and the remainder from fundraising in the community.

All that fundraising was complete within 60 days, which came as a pleasant surprise to McCaffery.

He recalled what things felt like a decade ago.

“We thought maybe we’d bitten off more than we can chew. We didn’t have a lot of experience operating a whole venue… This was a bit of a new, how do we balance community involvement and access? How do you keep the prices at a reasonable level? How do you bring in professional performers who have different expectations of our equipment and our needs?”

McCaffery notes it was difficult to figure out how to cater to those different demands.

Over the years, one major change has been that performing arts in the community can now charge more for tickets. As a result, the arts are more fruitful to pursue, he said.

One major aspect of the centre that people may not know when they come in for a show is how many volunteers help out to the make them possible. During the tour, both McCaffery and the tour guests gave a nod to people who help with behind the scenes with productions.

In addition, various tables representing the arts community in Prince Albert were spread throughout the building. Live musicians played and free cake was given away to commemorate the occasion.

claskowski@panow.com

On Twitter: @chelsealaskowsk