History
In 1968, Kanata Theatre began as a play reading group in a sleepy bedroom community. At that time the town consisted of only a handful of houses, one public school, two gas stations, a post office and an A&P grocery store.
In 1993 several major developments brought the dream of having their own performance venue closer to reality. The group conducted a feasibility study that convinced the members to spend Kanata Theatre's $300,000 reserve fund on a playhouse project. On Kanata Theatre's initiative, the City of Kanata allocated roughly half of its new federal/provincial infrastructure funding to that project, set aside land at Walter Baker Park, and gave Kanata Theatre the right to manage the building under a lease. By the spring of 1994 the project was under way.
Peter Smith of the firm of Lett/Smith, Governor General's award winner for his restoration of London's Grand Theatre, designer of Toronto's Princess of Wales Theatre, and long time architect for the Shaw Festival, was chosen to design the building.
Kanata Theatre took possession of its new home in March 1996 and in May of that year staged its first production in the Playhouse, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. The move to the Playhouse was followed by a large increase both in the group's membership and its audience. In 2001 the Playhouse was expanded by the addition of a rehearsal studio, postponed for budgetary reasons from the original construction, an expanded lobby and other facilities. Kanata Theatre covered the entire cost of this expansion.
Canada's contemporary theatre reflects a rich diversity of regional and cultural identities. Since the late 1960s, there has been a concerted effort to develop the voice of the 'Canadian playwright', which is reflected in the nationally focused programming of many of the country's theatres. Within this 'Canadian voice' are a plurality of perspectives - that of the First Nations, new immigrants, French Canadians, sexual minorities, etc. - and a multitude of theatre companies have been created to specifically service and support these voices.
Earl of March Secondary School is an Ottawa-Carleton District School Board secondary school in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in suburban Kanata in the Beaverbrook neighbourhood near the Ottawa Public Library Beaverbrook Branch and the John G. Mlacak Centre. The school also serves the neighbourhoods of Kanata Lakes, Beaverbrook, Katimavik-Hazeldean, Richardson Ridge, and Morgan's Grant.
Kanata is a suburban district in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 22 km (14 mi) west of the city's downtown core. As of 2021, Kanata had an urban population of 137,118. Before it was amalgamated into Ottawa in 2001, it was one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada and the fastest-growing community in Eastern Ontario. Located just to the west of the National Capital Commission Greenbelt, it is one of the largest of several communities that surround central Ottawa.
Glen Ronald Murray is a Canadian politician and urban issues advocate who served as the 41st Mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 1998 to 2004, and was the first openly gay mayor of a large North American city. He subsequently moved to Toronto, Ontario, and was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as a Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Toronto Centre in 2010, serving until 2017.
The Liverpool Empire Theatre is a theatre on the corner of Lime Street in Liverpool, England. The playhouse, which opened in 1925, is the second one to be built on the site. It has the largest two-tier auditorium in the United Kingdom and can seat 2,348 people.
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a 2,071-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Queen Street West, across from Osgoode Hall. The land on which it is located was a gift from the Government of Ontario. It is the home of the Canadian Opera Company (COC) and the National Ballet of Canada. The building's modernist design by was created by Canadian firm Diamond and Schmitt Architects, headed by Jack Diamond. It was completed in 2006, and the interior design includes an unusual glass staircase.
The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is an historic performing arts theatre in Toronto, Ontario. The theatre is located at 260 King Street West, in the downtown Toronto Entertainment District. Owned and operated by Mirvish Productions, the theatre has approximately 1,244 seats across three levels. Built in 1907, the Royal Alexandra Theatre is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in North America.
The Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat live theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on King Street West, in Toronto's downtown Entertainment District. The theatre's name has a triple meaning: it honours Diana, Princess of Wales, with whose consent the theatre was named; it links the building to its sister theatre, the Royal Alexandra, one block to the east, also named – with Royal assent – for a former Princess of Wales; and it recalls the Princess Theatre, Toronto's first "first-class legitimate" playhouse, that stood three blocks to the east until 1931.
Disney Theatrical Productions Limited (DTP), also known as Disney on Broadway, is the stageplay and musical production company of the Disney Theatrical Group, a subsidiary of Disney Entertainment, a major business unit of The Walt Disney Company.
David Mirvish, is a Canadian art collector, art dealer, theatre producer, real estate developer and son of the late Toronto discount department store owner "Honest" Ed Mirvish and artist Anne Lazar Macklin.
Leeds Playhouse is a theatre in the city centre of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It opened in 1990 in the Quarry Hill area of the city as the West Yorkshire Playhouse, successor to the original Leeds Playhouse, and was rebranded in June 2018 to revert to the title "Leeds Playhouse". It has two auditoria and a studio space, hosts a wide range of productions, and engages in outreach work in the local community.
Edinburgh Playhouse is a theatre in Edinburgh, Scotland. With 3,059 seats it is the largest in Scotland and second largest theatre in the United Kingdom, after the Hammersmith Apollo. The theatre is owned by Ambassador Theatre Group.
Aberystwyth Arts Centre is an arts centre in Wales, located on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus. One of the largest in Wales, it comprises a theatre, concert hall, studio and cinema, as well as four gallery spaces and cafés, bars, and shops.
Blythe Wilson is a Canadian actress who has been part of the Stratford Festival company since 1995, playing lead roles as Nancy in Oliver! in 2006 and Laurey in Oklahoma! in 2007.
The Pinnacle Playhouse is a theatre in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. It houses the Belleville Theatre Guild, a member of the Eastern Ontario Drama League.
Katimavik-Hazeldean is a neighbourhood in Kanata South Ward in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the former City of Kanata which amalgamated into Ottawa in 2001. It is located in south-central Kanata, bounded by Eagleson Road to the east, Hazeldean Road to the south, the Carp River to the west, and Highway 417 to the north.
Drayton Entertainment is a not-for-profit professional theatre company based in Southwestern Ontario operating seven venues across the province: the original Drayton Festival Theatre in Drayton, Huron Country Playhouse and Playhouse II in Grand Bend, King's Wharf Theatre in Penetanguishene, Schoolhouse Theatre in St. Jacobs, St. Jacobs Country Playhouse in Waterloo, and Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge in Cambridge.
The Capitol Theatre is a historic theatre in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Opened on December 30, 1920 by the Loew Theater Company owned by Marcus Loew at a cost of approximately CA$600,000. Designed by Toronto architect Thomas White Lamb, it was the largest single floor theatre in Canada at the time, with 1,995 seats.
The Playhouse Theatre is a performing arts centre situated in Glen Eden, New Zealand. The building was constructed in 1937 following a fire that destroyed the Glen Eden Town Hall that was on the site at the time. The Theatre has continued to serve West Auckland, initially for civic and community functions and events, moving into cinema and theatre productions by the 1970s when the name of the building officially changed to The Playhouse Theatre. Various theatre groups that had used the venue eventually amalgamated as the Waitakere Playhouse Theatre Trust in 1997. After considerable fundraising, the building was upgraded and in 2003 reopened as a modern performing arts facility.
Rae Smith is a British set and costume designer who has worked frequently in theatre and Live Art. Her designs can be seen in the Opera Rigoletto which received a South Bank Sky Arts Award as did ‘’[Uncle Vanya ] film and West End Production in 2022. Saint Joan, an Obie Award for Oliver Twist and an Irish Times award for An Ideal Husband. Smith was nominated for Laurence Olivier Awards for The Light Princess, Uncle Vanya and Rosmersholm. Her work on the set of War Horse received particular praise and she received an Olivier, Tony, Evening Standard, Toronto Critics and Drama Desk Special Award. Smith has also worked on several operas and ballets.
