Centre In The Square facts for kids
Exterior of Centre In The Square
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| Location | 101 Queen Street North Kitchener, Ontario N2H 6P7 |
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| Owner | City of Kitchener |
| Capacity | 2,047 |
| Opened | 1980 |
| Years active | 1980–present |
Centre In The Square is a cool place in downtown Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. It's a big theatre and performing arts centre where you can watch live shows.
This centre is home to the Raffi Armenian Theatre. It's a huge hall with 2,047 seats. This makes it the biggest theatre in the Waterloo Region. It's also the main place where the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony performs.
There's another space inside called the Studio Theatre. It's used for many different things. People have parties there, and artists practice their shows. Sometimes, smaller, cozy performances happen there too. Almost 200,000 people visit Centre In The Square every year!
The Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is also located inside Centre In The Square. It has its own offices and is a separate place to visit.
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History of Centre In The Square
Centre In The Square first opened its doors in September 1980. It cost a bit over $11 million to build. A local architecture company from Kitchener, Rieder, Hymmen and Lobban, designed the building.
The design was very special and got attention from all over the world. People loved its wide-open views and amazing sound quality. The building is owned by the City of Kitchener. It is run by a special group that doesn't make a profit. This group helps make sure the centre can keep offering great shows.
What Shows Can You See?
Centre In The Square has a busy schedule of shows from September to June. They offer many different types of performances. The goal is to have something fun for everyone in the community.
Some of the popular types of shows include:
- Broadway musicals
- Comedy acts
- Songwriter concerts
- Electric Thursdays events
- Classic Albums Live shows
- Canadian plays
- K-W Symphony Signature concerts
- K-W Symphony Pops concerts
Magnetic North Theatre Festival
The annual Magnetic North Theatre Festival was held in Kitchener-Waterloo from June 9 to 19, 2010. Centre In The Square was the main place for many of the festival's performances. Famous people like Rick Mercer performed there.
During the festival, the Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, visited the centre. On June 14, 2010, she hosted a public talk called "Art Matters." This discussion was about how important the arts are for building better communities.
The Studio Theatre Space
The Studio Theatre is the smaller performance area inside Centre In The Square. For a long time, it was mostly used for the K-W Symphony to practice. It also hosted private events.
However, things changed for the Studio Theatre by March 2011. Centre In The Square received $1.2 million in funding from the government. This money helped turn the Studio Theatre into a flexible space. It can now hold up to 350 people for various events and performances.
