Imperial Theatre, Saint John facts for kids
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Front façade of the Imperial Theatre
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| Address | 12 King Square South Saint John, New Brunswick E2L 5B8 |
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| Coordinates | 45°16′22″N 66°03′28″W / 45.272727°N 66.057729°W |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1913 |
| Reopened | 1994 |
| Official name: Imperial / Bi-Capitol Theatre National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | November 15, 1985 |
| Official name: Imperial Theatre | |
| Type: | Local Historic Place |
| Designated: | March 18, 1982 |
| Architect | Albert Westover |
The Imperial Theatre is a historic building in Saint John, New Brunswick. It is located near King's Square. An architect named Albert Westover designed the theatre. It was built in 1912 and opened its doors on September 19, 1913.
The theatre was first used for vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a popular type of entertainment with different acts like comedy, music, and dance. Famous silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo had their movies shown here. One of Canada's first comedy groups, The Dumbbells, performed some of their first shows at the Imperial Theatre.
In 1928, the theatre became home to Acadia Broadcasting's first radio station. The Imperial Theatre was designed to look like a modern version of Italian Renaissance buildings. It showed both live vaudeville acts and "talkies," which were early movies with sound. In 1929, the theatre changed its name to the Capitol Theatre. Like many vaudeville theatres, it became a movie cinema.
From 1957 to 1982, a religious group used the Imperial Theatre as a meeting place. In 1982, the group stopped using the building, and it was left empty.
Saving the Imperial Theatre
In the mid-1980s, people in Saint John started a big effort to save the theatre. A local taxi driver made the first payment of $1 to buy the building. The full price was $1 million, and they had one year to raise the rest.
By the deadline, the community had raised over $1.1 million! Most of this money came from the people of Saint John. This is why the theatre is so special to the city. Many seats inside the theatre even have the names of the people who helped donate money.
The theatre has been carefully brought back to how it looked in 1913. The original decorations and detailed plasterwork were either fixed or rebuilt exactly as they were. The inside of the Imperial Theatre looks just like it did when it first opened. Because of its history and beauty, the Imperial Theatre is now a National Historic Site of Canada.
Stage and Technical Details
The Imperial Theatre is a fully restored Victorian-style theatre. It has a special arch called a proscenium arch. This arch beautifully frames the stage for everyone watching the show.
The stage is quite large. Here are some of its measurements:
- The proscenium arch is about 42 feet wide and 26 feet high.
- From the front curtain to the back wall, the stage is about 42 feet deep.
- The stage also has areas on the sides called "wings" where performers and props can wait.
