Investing In Our Creative Future

The sun beamed down on the Werklund Centre and Olympic Plaza Transformation site on a stunningly beautiful fall day in September as media, stakeholders, project representatives, and a very special Calgary family gathered for an exciting announcement. Calgary’s newest black-box space flexible performance venue would be called the McCann Family Studio Theatre in recognition of a $4 million gift from Rodney (Rod) J. McCann, Karen McCann, and their immediate family, Connor, Brandon, Andrew, and Meghan McCann.

"We believe in the power of the arts to inspire, connect and strengthen communities. Our hope is that this theatre will provide opportunities for artists and audiences alike and help foster creativity for many years to come," Rod McCann said.

For Rod, Karen, and their children Connor, Brandon, Andrew, and Meghan, the decision to give to the arts in such an impactful way was motivated by family. The McCanns have called Calgary home for generations, and they want to see Calgary continue to be a city that fosters community, inspiring people to choose Calgary as a city to build a life and raise a family.

“Calgary was a bit of dream to build our family,” says Rod. “We reinvest to ensure that generations to come that they have the same experience, the same opportunities that we had.”

Rod McCann is an entrepreneur and investor who has led startups, turnarounds, and privately held companies across multiple sectors. He is an active community supporter and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization. He has long championed local and regional charities, including the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta, where he matches donations for the Giving Tuesday campaign.

With a long history of supporting Werklund Centre, first as a ticket buyer, then a donor and board member, Rod and his family have donated continuously in support of Werklund Centre programming, including a personal and special gift during the 2023-24 Season to support our World Premiere of National Geographic Film Concert: Secrets of the Whales, narrated live by Jann Arden. As the world began to emerge from the global pandemic, Werklund Centre was again the beneficiary of a significant donation from the McCann Family, it enabled the organization to launch A Season of Gratitude, an ambitious program that offered essential workers and their families in Calgary free tickets to any of Werklund Centre’s resident companies’ shows during the 2021-22 season. Through A Season of Gratitude, 13,476 tickets were made available to these essential frontline workers. And finally, through Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc., the McCann’s donated substantially towards the 2012-13 season through the 2021-22 season in support of EXPLORE National Geographic which has provided subsidized tickets and transportation for up to 4,000 grade school students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to attend these education and inspiring live presentations.

“Through the years, we've witnessed millions of people gathering here to be moved through performance. More important to us, we saw our youth be exposed to the world and career opportunities that they never thought of,” says Rod. “Actors and artists, set designers, lighting technicians, producers, musicians, deep sea divers, explorers and photographers –– all of them exhibiting such passion and dedication. That’s what we want. We want more of that for the City of Calgary.”