Ed Mirvish Theatre
244 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, Canada
Seats (approximate)
2269
ABOUT THIS THEATRE
Description
The 2,300-seat Canon Theatre began its life in 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture theatre in the Pantages theatre circuit. With its original 3373 seats, it was the largest cinema in Canada and, with its lavish interior - designed by the great theatre architect Thomas Lamb - the most elegant.
The theatre was built by the Canadian motion picture distributor Nathan L. Nathanson, founder of Famous Players Canadian Corporation. While Famous Players retained ownership, management and booking were turned over to the Pantages organization, one of the largest vaudeville and motion picture theatre circuits in North America, and the theatre was renamed “The Pantages.”
In 1930, it became exclusively a motion picture house, under the name “The Imperial.”
After almost 70 years as a cinema, the theatre was rebuilt as a live venue in 1989 to become home, for 10 years, to the Canadian production of The Phantom of the Opera. It was purchased by Mirvish Productions in 2008 and continues as a live venue.