Montreal, June 1, 2007 - The Segal Centre for Performing Arts at The Saidye (Segal Centre) announced today that it is expanding its repertoire to include dance, music, video and new media as well as theatre. In preparing for its new vocation The Segal Centre will be undergoing a major renovation this summer.

“We believe that culture creates bridges of understanding and respect between people,” explained Alvin Segal, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Over the past 40 years, our theatre has established a deep foundation of artistic excellence, offering outstanding, award-winning English-language classical theatre and Yiddish Theatre.”

“With the community’s participation,” added Leanor Segal, Vice-President of the Board of Directors, “we are committed to creating a vibrant meeting place for the arts that we can all be proud of. As well, we hope to contribute to a renewed vigor in the world of performing arts by nurturing the next generation of artists. We intend to reach out to young people by offering them educational support as well as an outlet for their creativity.”

The Segal Centre will be built on five pillars. The first two – the Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre and the Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre – are already in place. The new pillars are The Academy of Performing Arts, The Studio and Cinema Space.

• The Academy will nurture creativity and talent in music, dance, theatre and performance art. It will be home to a first-class team of educators and artists in residence and work closely with schools to enhance their existing programming.

• The Studio is a new multi-purpose space that can morph from a 175-seat theatre to a dance studio, lecture hall, educational facility, cabaret or jazz bar. In any one week it could be home to a klezmer concert, a chamber music recital, a children’s play and a jazz ballet.

• Cinema Space will be a 75-seat facility that gives local, independent filmmakers an opportunity to present their work to the public.

The investment in the Segal Centre will bring significant social and economic benefits to Montreal. “As someone who participated in the Sunday-@-The Segal lecture series, I am well aware of the Segal Centre’s capacity to bring together Montrealers from different backgrounds to be entertained and enlightened,” noted Isabelle Hudon, President of the Chambre de Commerce. “As head of the Chambre I am also very conscious of the economic benefits of investing in arts and culture and congratulate the Segal family and the broader community for their foresight and commitment.”

Noting that The Segal Centre has become an independent agency of FEDERATION CJA, Marc Gold, Vice-President, FEDERATION CJA stated, “We are committed to supporting The Segal Centre for Performing Arts at The Saidye in its twofold mission of providing stimulating and entertaining programming and creating a greater understanding of our history and our culture, particularly among our young people. We are indeed indebted to the Segals and the Bronfmans before them for their vision and their leadership.”

The renovations will begin immediately and are to be completed in the fall. “We expect to launch with a bang in October,” stated Bryna Wasserman, Executive and Artistic Director of The Segal Centre. “For the 2007-2008 season we have an exciting and diverse line-up of English and Yiddish plays. In The Studio, we are already planning to stage a Creole Macbeth which we are developing with The Other Theatre, host new works created by the Sabooge Theatre as well as a co-production with Montreal’s Infinitheatre and be the home to the Montreal Intercultural Storytelling Festival. And in the coming weeks we will be announcing the head of our cinema program.”