Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres facts for kids
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| Address | 189 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario Canada |
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| Public transit |   Queen station |
| Owner | Ontario Heritage Trust |
| Type | Edwardian stacked theatres |
| Capacity | 1,538 (Elgin Theatre) 982 (Winter Garden Theatre) 2,520 (total) |
| Production | Plays, opera, music, film |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Rebuilt | 1987–1989 (restoration) |
| Years active | 1913–present |
| Architect | Thomas W. Lamb |
| Designated: | 1982 |
The Elgin & Winter Garden Theatres are two amazing theatres built one on top of the other in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Winter Garden Theatre is located seven floors above the Elgin Theatre. These theatres are the last remaining "stacked" theatres from the Edwardian era anywhere in the world.
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History of the Theatres
These two theatres were first built in 1913. They were the most important theatres for Marcus Loew's theatre company. The famous architect Thomas W. Lamb designed the building. He also designed the Ed Mirvish Theatre nearby.
Both theatres were made to show vaudeville acts and short silent movies. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with many different acts. These included comedians, singers, dancers, and magicians. Each theatre was meant for a different type of audience.
The lower theatre, originally called Loew's Yonge Street Theatre, was grand. It had gold and marble decorations and a domed ceiling. This theatre showed vaudeville and movies all day long. The upper theatre, the Winter Garden, was designed to look like a beautiful outdoor garden. It had murals of plants and tree trunk columns. Lanterns hung from the ceiling, making it feel like a garden under the stars.
The Winter Garden Theatre was for "Big Time" vaudeville shows. Tickets were more expensive, and seats were reserved. This theatre was for wealthier people. It also allowed new acts to be tried out without affecting the shows in the lower theatre.
By 1928, long silent films were very popular. Then, movies with sound started to become common. In 1928, the lower theatre was changed to show sound films. The upper theatre, the Winter Garden, was closed. It stayed closed for about sixty years.
When it closed, a huge collection of vaudeville scenery was left inside. This collection is now the largest surviving collection of its kind in the world. In 1969, the Elgin Theatre was sold to another company called Famous Players.
Recent History of the Theatres
Since 1979, the Elgin Theatre has been one of the main places for the yearly Toronto International Film Festival. This is a very important event for movies.
In 1981, the Ontario Heritage Foundation bought the theatres. The Elgin Theatre stopped showing movies on November 15, 1981. The last film shown there was "...". From 1985 to 1987, the musical Cats was performed at the Elgin. It was very successful, even though the theatre had not been fully fixed up yet. This showed that the theatre could still be a great place for shows.
The building closed in 1987 for a complete restoration. Both the Elgin and Winter Garden theatres were carefully repaired and brought back to their original beauty. They reopened in 1989.
In 1991, a special sound system called LARES was installed in the Elgin Theatre. This system helps make the sound in the theatre even better. It uses microphones and speakers to improve how the audience hears the performances.
The Elgin Theatre has hosted many important shows. The musical Napoleon had its first-ever performance there in 1994. In 1995, The Who's Tommy musical was also performed there. From 1996 to 2022, Ross Petty Productions put on fun pantomime shows at the Elgin every Christmas.
From February 10 to 14, 2004, the TV show Late Night with Conan O'Brien filmed four episodes at the Elgin Theatre. The show came to Toronto to help promote the city as a tourist spot. Many Canadian stars were guests on these shows. These included Mike Myers, Michael J. Fox, Jim Carrey, Eric McCormack, Ron James, Nickelback, Stompin' Tom Connors, and Barenaked Ladies.
The Elgin Theatre also hosted the filming of Bryan Adams in Concert in July 2014. This concert was later shown on the TV program Great Performances in March 2015.
Other Theatres Designed by Thomas Lamb in Canada
- Ed Mirvish Theatre, Toronto
- Uptown Theatre, Toronto
- Capitol Cinema, Ottawa
- The Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, Brantford
See also
- Opera Atelier
