Old Confidence Lodge: NS South Shore has a new Q performance space

Wayves Staff
August 17, 2024

Old Confidence Lodge is a queer-owned, family-operated venue opening in Riverport, Nova Scotia, later this month. "We take pride in supporting both emerging and established artists from our diverse communities, whether that's through the concerts we host or the theatre we produce," say the owners.

Family transforming historic Old Confidence Lodge into thriving arts venue

Hafsa Arif
September 14, 2023

“I think locals were watching the building, it was on the market for years, to see who was going to buy it hoping that they would keep it as arts related and performance related,” said Porter. “There’s so many people interested in being part of what we’re doing.”

Bringing new life to Riverport’s Old Confidence Lodge

Suzanne Rent
August 10, 2023

“It wasn’t the kind of place you show up and live [in],” Jackman said. “We could make this a family business and open it up and create a community arts hub, which both of us have so much history in the arts. It seemed at first like one of those faraway plans, like, ‘Oh, wouldn’t that be lovely. Wouldn’t that be nice. Over about half a year, we kept thinking about it… and figuring out ways we could make it happen until it seemed like this could be a reality. It was something we believed we could do now.”

Old Confidence Lodge to Become South Shore Performing Arts Hub

Issie Patterson
September 14, 2023

The Porter-Jackmans, their son, and their seven-month-old baby, Amy, have been living in the Lodge for about a year. And they have plenty of ideas as to how they’re going to use the performance space after its renovations. 

“Our plan is to have a summer theatre festival here,” Porter says. They also plan to host a yearly Halloween show and New Year’s Eve party, monthly karaoke and line-dancing, and a theatrical adaptation of the folktale “Stone Soup”.