The Guild to reopen next week

The Guild, an arts and theatre facility in Charlottetown, reopens next week after a winter shutdown.

All but one of the employees was laid off at the end of November as a cost saving measure.

Ghislaine O'Hanley, the theatres executive director, said Wednesday the savings went into paying for badly needed renovations.

She said there was simply no other way to stay afloat.

Serveral financial issues caused the seasonal lay-offs, including debt carry-over from previous years, less than projected summer season revenue in the theatre, and mounting costs to maintain the aging facility.

"It was the answer. It wasn't the answer to our prayers, but it was the answer at the time to save money over the short term so that we could avoid having padlocks puton the doors," OHanley said.

"We did end up saving a large amount of money in payroll. We will squeak through. We had some very major repairs."

O'Hanley said many of the staff managed to find other temporary jobs during the winter and have all agreed to return to the Guild.

Two staff members will return on Monday, and the rest will return gradually come back until April when the next fiscal year begins.

The first show Canada in Lovewillhit the stage onMarch 16.