110-year-old theatre in Estevan continues fixes after flooding

A long journey of renovations is underway for Estevan’s historic Orpheum Theatre after it flooded last month.

“It’s very exhausting,” said Jocelyn Dougherty, a co-owner of the cinema. “Some days you don’t know where to start.”

Since 1998, Dougherty and her husband, Alan, have been running the 110-year-old theatre. The historic cinema also hosts live music performances and comedians.

A worker cleans up the water and dirt in one of the theatre’s auditoriums. (Jocelyn Dougherty/ Submitted)

On August 21, Jocelyn said heavy rains filled a hole dug for construction in front of the building on 4th Street. The City of Estevan was undergoing renovations aimed to revitalize the downtown, she said.

The hole was around 18 feet deep and 30 feet wide, according to Jocelyn.

“This rain filled it up,” she said. “It was like an Olympic sized swimming pool right in front of all the businesses.”

A photo shows the construction on 4th Street in front the of the Orpheum Theatre in Estevan. (Jocelyn Dougherty/ Submitted)

Some of that water leaked into the theatre’s basement bathrooms, some office spaces, and into the auditoriums.

Jocelyn said she is still working with an insurance company to figure out damage costs, and who is at fault. 650 CKOM and 980 CJME has reached out to the City of Estevan for comment.

Walking through the few inches of water made Jocelyn “just want to cry.”

Jocelyn said she didn’t have an estimate on how much the damage would cost, but said it was “thousands without blinking an eye.”

Since the flooding, Jocelyn said there is hope the theatre’s doors will open again, but a series of renovations is underway before then.

A few inches of water flooded into the theatre’s basement bathrooms. (Jocelyn Dougherty/Submitted)

“We are working with a restoration company that’s trying to dry things out,” she said. “Basically everything’s ripped apart in the basement including the sinks and counter trying to dry the walls behind.”

Some carpets and drywall will need to be replaced before the projector can roll again. Jocelyn said she felt badly that a business that cleans the theatre won’t be given work at the cinema for the next few months while work continues.

“It’s not just the theatre that’s affected,” she said.

The theatre has dealt with financial losses due to COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns and Hollywood strikes, she said. Instead of preparing for some summer blockbusters to hit the cinema’s projector, she’s doing paperwork to help fix the theatre.

“We really felt good this summer we had some good movies and people are starting to come back, and then this happened, and we had to close the doors again,” Jocelyn said.

Jocelyn and Alan Dougherty stand in front of their theatre declaring a sold out event in 2022. (Jocelyn Dougherty/ Submitted)

Jocelyn takes pride that the theatre has always been a family run, independent business.

“Independent theatres — especially ones that have been operating so long — are really becoming rarer in the country,” she said.

Jocelyn said the outpouring of community support since the flooding has been “overwhelming” and was incredibly appreciated.

She hopes to re-open the theatre when renovations finish within the next two to four months.

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