One of Regina’s and Saskatchewan’s premier entertainment venues is set to close doors for a while, announced Casino Regina. This week, the gaming property announced that at the start of 2023, its Show Lounge will temporarily suspend operations, in order to begin renovations. The theatre is set to reopen for guests on March 27, 2023, for an Irish Rovers spectacle.
The makeovers at the Show Lounge are part of the casino’s final renovation portion, which has been ongoing since January 2020. The project was approved by SaskGaming, which devoted approximately CA$18 million for the overhaul of the whole resort. Part of the preparations for the project was done early in 2020, while the casino was closed down.
Work Can Commence
Shanna Schulhauser, Director of Communications for the Saskatchewan Gaming Corporation noted that the venue has suspended work and now the casino can begin its final bit of renovations. She explained that the agency planned the process, and claimed that a few weeks of closure, will allow the company to make the scheduled renovations and upgrade its entertainment venue.
According to reports, the project will not change the structure or the configurations of the theatre, which opened more than two decades ago in 2001. Its renovation will rather be a facelift instead of a major one. It was estimated that the cost for the upgrades to the Show Lounge and its surrounding area in fiscal 2022-23 will be around CA$5.5 million.
Usually, every year, the 700-seat venue hosts more than 200 events including local productions and fundraisers. It is a place where home-grown talent and international entertainers can bring joy to the local people. After being closed down for quite a while due to the unprecedented situation, the theatre reopened back in November 2021 and it is still recovering its business.
Guests of the casino and locals can enjoy its first show for 2023, on March 27. Rovers will kick things off, and after that, host Charlie Major is set to perform on March 30. After that, the stage will be occupied by Matt Andersen & The Big Bottle of Joy Band on March 31 and George Thorogood and The Destroyers on May 6.
And speaking of the casino’s event centre, recently, the property received some complaints regarding accessibility to the theatre. Several senior citizens complained that the nearest entrance to the venue is closed and that they had to use the casino’s main entrance and had to walk through the whole property to reach the Show Lounge.
Former Employee Will Not be Rehired
At the start of 2021, an arbitrator confirmed that a former employee of Casino Regina will not get his job back at the gaming property. The employee lost his job back in 2018 after two racist allegations and tried to appeal the corporation’s decision. The former dealer and supervisor was represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, and the union supported the appeal by claiming that he deeply regrets the incidents.
Source: Harder, Greg “Casino Regina Show Lounge closed for renos”, Regina Leader-Post, January 5, 2023
