CEO to CEO: How FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre Became a Beacon for Community

At the heart of St. Catharines, the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) stands as a hub of creativity, community, and care. Since opening in 2015, the PAC has become a cultural beacon, hosting a diverse array of performances across its four unique venues, from live music to independent films. More than just a stage for entertainment, the PAC embodies a commitment to enriching the Niagara region through the arts.

In this Q&A, Colleen Smith, CEO of the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre, shares insights into what makes this venue so special—from its dedication to exceptional audience experiences to its role as a pillar of local engagement. She reflects on the journey of leading the organization through the pandemic, the power of meaningful programming, and how the organization continues to foster a deep connection between artists and audiences.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

What is FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre?
We were part of a creative cluster masterplan that realized itself in 2015 with the opening of the performing arts center, the arena down the street, the school for the fine and performing arts at Brock University.

We are a diamond in disguise. We have a gorgeous facility with four different spaces that are used by the public. We have, primarily, music featured in our two formal spaces, plus a film house and a black box. One of the best things we have going are the acoustics, and we are grateful for the people behind building this performing arts center, for focusing on that.

One of our core values is care. That extends from the leadership level down to the people who are volunteering their time, and to our customers. We want them to feel good when they’re here.

If someone came to one of your events, how would they feel that care?
It starts with us. Care is the fact that the person sitting next to you matters. Who you are collaborating with matters. We want to make sure that clients have all the information they need to be successful. We want to make sure they’re comfortable with what information they’re given. We want to know if there’s any way we can help them. We are a dog-friendly facility, so if an artist shows up and they’ve got a dog, we’ll have beds and treats and snacks. We send artists a thank you note when their show is completed. And when patrons come in, we get to know our people by name. Care is that attention to detail. It’s embodied within the gratitude that we show our people.

That sounds like it’s your differentiator.
Yeah. I often say that we work in the experience economy. We are in the business of service to our community. We’re not here for ourselves. We’re not here to make money. We have an obligation to be fiscally responsible, but we serve community. I’ve worked in many different places across the country and the model of the regional performing arts center is unique. We were created by the will of the community to want a space like this. The way we operate is forever in gratitude for the people that make our work possible.

As a relatively new venue, where did the push to get started come from?
Here we are in a relatively small city that also has Brock University. They had a performing arts program for about 40 years, but it wasn’t a professional space. So, this community built up an appetite for live performance with a high quality of work and without a lot of pressure to have 800 people in this space every night of the year.

When the building was opened, the performing arts series was essentially transferred from the university to the auspices of the city of St. Catherines because they owned the building. There was a lot of already built-in understanding of the value of the performing arts, and it only expanded from there.

I believe that we hit above our weight in terms of the offerings we have. We have a bespoke film house that operates five times a week. We have 1,000 events a year, which, in a city of this size, is quite extraordinary. On average, we are at capacity for our presentations. We also have approximately 750 members.

How did you build that up?
it’s through good programming that people can relate to. Something we keep forgetting is that it’s what people want to see. What are they looking for and why are we not giving it to them? It’s a very simple thing: What kind of shows do you like? There’s an art and science to programming. Give the people what they want, so they trust you, and then surprise them, so you’ve already built a level of trust for when you have something that’s a little bit outside the norm.

So, what did you discover that people want?
They want to feel good, they want to be entertained, they want something they recognize. I’m sure you’re seeing this all over, but people are making very specific decisions about what they will and won’t spend money on. If you love an artist, you will pay to see that artist. That’s the place where we have landed right now. We had the Canadian rock band Finger Eleven and they sold out the house.

You mentioned sprinkling in content that is a little different. How do you get people to show up for that?
It’s certainly a lot of work, and it leans into the notion of partnerships. We work with various nonprofit and social purpose groups in the area to ensure that we have people in the house that understand and appreciate the work. Maybe it’s at a lower entry point in terms of pricing, as well.

You started in your role three months into the pandemic. That had to be a challenge.
Starting work at this organization at that time was something I’ve never experienced before and obviously never will again. It was far different than what I thought it would be. We were managed by the City of St. Catherines and we were all city employees when I arrived. That was May. In January, the city relinquished management of the performing arts center to a new board of directors, and there was no executive director in place. What I inherited was a circumstance where I was rebuilding a company. We had no P&L statements, no job descriptions, not HR or finance or facilities departments. We weren’t identified as a non-profit or charitable entity. We were this quasi-municipal board, so I and my senior team built a company together, using the time that was given to us when everyone was either furloughed or laid off. The first thing we did was learn how to work together and determine our four core values, care, collaboration, creativity, and a culture of learning.

I invested in leadership training for all directors. We’ve had five years of finishing in surplus positions. Financially we’re in a very good place. Culturally, we are very strong. I believed in the people who are from this area and their ability to make great things happen, and I don’t regret it.

We were built 10 years ago to save what is currently St. Paul Street in downtown St. Catherines. Our vision now is to make the arts an essential part of life in Niagara. Through the arts, we create exceptional experiences for and within our community. We program 1,000 events a year, and we have a lot of community programs that give back, whether they’re for seniors or kids. We are committed to giving back to our community and we have just received charitable status from the Government of Canada as of January.

If you could pick out one or two community events to highlight, which do you think best lives up to your standards?
Film is a tricky business these days, whether you’re a landmark cinema or a little community-based cinema. We do community film screenings where we work with local non-profits, health organizations, settlement organizations, to identify themes that are important to them, and we’ll have a panel discussion pre- or- post-film on a pay-what-you-can basis. It gets people in the building that never would have been, and it opens our regular patrons’ eyes to something that is relevant for our community members.

We have a group of kids from various high schools within the region and they meet every month, and, at certain times, they take over the film house and program it themselves. Then, we put them on stage in the 200-seat house and they introduce the film and talk about it. We’ve had kids who’ve never held a microphone before go up and talk about why it’s important to them.

To me, these are perfect examples of the arts as a vehicle to learning more about yourself, more about your community, and more about the world.

And, it brings us together.