Within Canada, a nonprofit theatre dedicated primarily to cinema is unique.  The uniqueness of our model can create fundraising challenges as movie theatres are often viewed as profit-driven enterprises.  But at The Civic Theatre, we are different.

We are guided by a mission other than profit, a mission to educate, entertain, connect, and communicate. By curating independent cinema and diverse dialogue events alongside new releases, we are celebrators of creativity, film, and thought leaders from around the corner and the world.

There is no sole owner of The Civic Theatre. The Nelson Civic Theatre Society operates The Civic Theatre. At NCTS, we are driven by the vision and direction of our 1,300 community members and our board of directors.

Our community programming lifts the voices of youth and seniors, strengthens the efforts of other nonprofit organizations, provides professional development for screen-based workers, and contributes to a better, more enriched city life.

As with other live theatres, we rely on our ticket revenues to cover only a portion of our costs.