Leaky roof causes Saskatoon theatre to close for the summer

The curtain will close for Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre on June 24, as the non-profit replaces part of the roof over the summer.

The curtain will close for Saskatoon’s Persephone Theatre on June 24, as the non-profit replaces part of the roof over the summer.

The theatre’s executive director Breanne Harmon said the roof has had issues with leaking over the past decade.

“There is so much trapped water within the membrane and the insulation that we have no choice but to do a full roof replacement,” Harmon told CTV News on Wednesday.

She said an architect told her when the theatre was built nearly two decades ago, the roofing material commonly used at the time was not made to withstand Saskatchewan’s extreme temperatures.

“Because we can go from -40 to within a couple of weeks what feels like +40, the roof over 17 years has had continual expansion and shrinking, which has led to a number of tears and big gaps in the roof,” she said.

Multiple “kiddie pools” sit on a grid, about six stories above the stage, to help catch the water.