Bathurst Street Theatre, Theatre and church building in Toronto, Canada.
Bathurst Street Theatre is a converted church building featuring Gothic revival architecture located on Bathurst Street. The space contains seating for around 500 people and hosts theatrical productions throughout the year.
The congregation began in 1860 as an offshoot of Elm Street Wesleyan Methodist Church, meeting in a cottage on Markham Street in Seaton Village. A first church rose on Bathurst Street in 1866 after land was given by the son of John Strachan; the present Gothic Revival building, designed by Gordon & Helliwell, was erected in 1888, its cornerstone laid by Sir John A. Macdonald. In 1925 it joined the United Church of Canada. The congregation left in 1985, when the building became a permanent theatre; the United Church sold it to George Randolph Jr. in 2000.
The building's name comes from the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts, which has occupied it since March 2001. Its stages and studios have hosted Oscar Peterson, Jim Carrey, Gordon Pinsent, Ted Dykstra, Eddie Izzard, Martin Bragg and the Toronto Fringe Festival. The 100-seat Annex Theatre sits in the adjoining building at 730 Bathurst Street.
The main auditorium and the 100-seat Annex Theatre occupy separate buildings, at 736 and 730 Bathurst Street, so check which entrance your performance uses. The site sits at the corner of Lennox Street, a short walk from Bathurst subway station. The former sanctuary is entered from Bathurst Street.
The cornerstone of the 1888 building was laid by Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada's first Prime Minister. The congregation left in 1985 for nearby Trinity-St. Paul's United Church, and the United Church of Canada sold the building to George Randolph Jr. in 2000. The 100-seat Annex Theatre occupies the adjoining building at 730 Bathurst Street.
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