The CAA Theatre, formerly the Panasonic Theatre, is a theatre located at 651 Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Mirvish Productions. On December 1, 2017, Mirvish Productions announced a marketing partnership with CAA South Central Ontario, which included renaming the venue that was known as the Panasonic Theatre.[2]
 | |
 | |
| Former names | Panasonic Theatre |
|---|---|
| Address | 651 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario Canada |
| Owner | KingSett Capital[1] |
| Operator | Mirvish Productions |
| Capacity | 700 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1911 |
| Rebuilt | 2005 |
| Website | |
| mirvish.com/caa-theatre | |
In February 2023, the Toronto Star reported that Mirvish sold the property in 2015, and that the current owner, private equity firm KingSett Capital, was planning to redevelop the site as a high-rise mixed-use building.[1]
History
editEarly years
editThe original Second Empire building was built in 1911 as a private residence, then gutted and converted to a movie theatre in 1919 and known as The Victory.[3][4] It was renamed The Embassy in 1934 and known by a number of other names over the next sixty years, including the Astor, the Showcase, and the Festival.
In the 1970s, the Festival Theatre was a key venue of the Toronto International Film Festival (then known as the Festival of Festivals).[4]
Conversion to live theatre
editIn 1993, the building was renovated for live theatre productions and renamed The New Yorker Theatre.[4]
Demolition and reconstruction
editIn 2004 and 2005, most of the building was demolished, with only the facade preserved. The old building was replaced by a new state-of-the-art live theatre and concert venue, known as The Panasonic Theatre. In 2005, the building was acquired by Live Nation and in 2008 by Mirvish Productions.
Site redevelopment
editIn February 2023, the Toronto Star reported that Mirvish sold the property in 2015, citing property records. City records also indicate the current owner, private equity firm KingSett Capital, has applied to the city to redevelop the site as a 76-storey, mixed-use building, retaining only the façade of the CAA Theatre building.[1]
Notable productions
editProductions are listed by the year of their first performance.[5][6]
Panasonic Theatre
edit- 2008: We Will Rock You
- 2009: My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding, Cloud 9
- 2010: My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding
- 2011: Ghost Stories, Two Pianos Four Hands
- 2012: Potted Potter, Bloodless, Without You
- 2013: Clybourne Park, Mary Walsh's Dancing with Rage, Cats, God of Carnage, The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)
- 2014: Arrabal, Dead Metaphor, The Boy With Tape On His Face, Buyer & Cellar
- 2015: Boom, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Seminar
- 2016: Bigmouth, Disgraced, Fight Night, Potted Potter
- 2017: My Night with Reg, Butcher, An Evening with Stephen Schwartz, Salt-Water Moon
CAA Theatre
edit- 2017: Million Dollar Quartet
- 2018: King Charles III , Fun Home, Potted Potter
- 2019: Oslo, A Doll's House, Part 2, Next to Normal, Piaf/Dietrich
- 2020: Us/Them
- 2022: Indecent
- 2023: Things I Know to Be True, As You Like It, or the Land Acknowledgement, Lasting Impressions in 3D: The Magic of the Impressionists, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of)
- 2024: Uncle Vanya, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Hyprov, Dog Man: The Musical, Gazillion Bubble Show, The Thanksgiving Play
References
edit- ^ a b c Chong, Joshua (February 28, 2023). "This century-old Mirvish theatre is slated for demolition and Toronto's arts community says loss is significant". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
- ^ "New partnership between CAA and Mirvish Productions". www.newswire.ca. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
- ^ Doug Taylor (2016). Toronto's Local Movie Theatres of Yesteryear: Brought Back to Thrill You Again. Dundurn Press. pp. 36–37. ISBN 9781459733428.
- ^ a b c The CAA Theatre
- ^ "Panasonic Theatre Show Archives". Mirvish Productions. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ "CAA Theatre Show Archives". Mirvish Productions. Retrieved 17 February 2023.