Broadway Theatre (Saskatoon)

Last updated
Broadway Theatre
Broadway Theatre SK1.jpg
Broadway Theatre (Saskatoon)
Address715 Broadway Avenue
Location Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Coordinates 52°07′06″N106°39′23″W / 52.11833°N 106.65639°W / 52.11833; -106.65639
OwnerFriends of the Broadway Theatre, Inc.
Type Movie palace, Performing arts center
Genre(s) Art cinema
Seating typeFixed seats
Capacity 430
Construction
Built1946
OpenedDecember 5, 1946
ClosedAugust 2, 1993 (re-opened October 1993)
Website
www.broadwaytheatre.ca

The Broadway Theatre is an art film and performance theatre located on Broadway Avenue in the Nutana neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The theatre is Canada's only community-owned non-profit repertory cinema. [1]

Contents

History

The Streamline Moderne style movie theatre was designed by George Forrester with the architectural firm of Webster and Gilbert and opened on December 5, 1946. [2] The theatre was Broadway's entertainment destination during the post-World War II years. It screened popular movies of the period and hosted some live musical performances on the stage in front of the movie screen. Following the neighbourhood's decline starting in the 1950s, the theatre fell into disrepute by the 1970s when it became an "adult" movie theatre. It was restored as an art film cinema and live performance venue during the 1980s. [3] It was designated a municipal heritage property on April 14, 1997. [4]

On August 2, 1993, the Broadway Theatre abruptly closed. After a public fundraising drive, it was purchased by the Friends of the Broadway Theatre, Inc., a non-profit organization with charitable status dedicated to the preservation and renovation of the theatre. [5] It reopened in October 1993, resuming its previous role. In addition to art, Canadian and regional cinema, the theatre also hosts some live music performances.

Facility

The theatre seats 240 in a centre bank of seats with another 95 in each of the side banks for a total of 430 seats, plus 6 wheelchair stations. The stage is of a proscenium style, made of black masonite and measures 10.79 metres (35.4 ft) wide and 7.32 metres (24.0 ft) deep. The movie screen is 7.8 metres (26 ft) wide by 3.77 metres (12.4 ft) high, with a projection throw of 31.39 metres (103.0 ft). [6] The lobby has terrazzo flooring and recessed valance lighting around the doorways to the theatre area. [7]

Operators

The theatre changed hands and focus several times, including: [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Movie theater</span> Venue for viewing films

A movie theater, cinema, or cinema hall, also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a business that contains auditoria for viewing films for public entertainment. Most, but not all, movie theaters are commercial operations catering to the general public, who attend by purchasing tickets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatoon</span> Largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada

Saskatoon is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as the cultural and economic hub of central Saskatchewan since its founding in 1882 as a Temperance colony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Coates</span> Canadian-American actor

Kim F. Coates is a Canadian-American actor who has worked in both Canadian and American films and television series. He has worked on Broadway portraying Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire and in the lead role of Macbeth performed at the Stratford Festival. He is best known for his role as Alexander "Tig" Trager in the FX series Sons of Anarchy and as Declan Gardiner in the Citytv series Bad Blood, as well as his recurring roles in Prison Break, Cold Case, CSI and CSI: Miami. He has also had film roles in The Last Boy Scout (1991), Bad Boys (1995), King of Sorrow (2006), Goon (2011).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cineplex Entertainment</span> Canadian entertainment company and movie theater chain

Cineplex Inc. is the largest cinema chain in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delta Bessborough</span> Building in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

The Delta Hotels Bessborough, formerly and commonly known as the Bessborough, is a historic hotel in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The hotel is within the Central Business District, a commercial district in Saskatoon. The Bessborough was designed by Archibald and Schofield for Canadian National Hotels, a division of Canadian National Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Landmark Cinemas</span> Canadian cinema chain

Landmark Cinema of Canada Inc. is a Canadian cinema chain. Based in Calgary, Alberta, Landmark operates 39 theatres with 317 screens, primarily in Ontario and western Canada. Its holdings include much of the former Empire Theatres chain which it acquired in late 2013, and some Famous Players locations divested as part of that chain's purchase by Cineplex Entertainment. Landmark is the second-largest cinema chain in Canada after Cineplex. It was acquired by Belgium company Kinepolis in 2017 for $123 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broadway Bridge (Saskatoon)</span> Bridge in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Broadway Bridge is an arch bridge that spans the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown (mall)</span> Shopping mall

Midtown is a shopping mall in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, located in the Central Business District neighbourhood. The main anchor store is Hudson's Bay and the shopping centre has a total store count of 154 stores. The mall was built on the former site of the city's main railway station as part of a major inner city redevelopment project in the 1960s that also saw construction of a freeway, the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge, TCU Place - an arts-convention complex - and a new facility for the city's YMCA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerville Theatre</span> Independent movie theater and concert venue in Somerville, Massachusetts

The Somerville Theatre is an independent movie theater and concert venue in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. Over one hundred years old, the Somerville Theatre started off as a vaudeville house and movie theater. The theater has since transitioned and now operates as a live music venue and first-run movie theater. As a music venue, the theater has played host to many historic concerts, including the first of the two Last Dispatch concerts, two shows by Bruce Springsteen in 2003, and a performance by U2 in 2009. Recent live performances have included Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, Cursive, Norah Jones, The Jonas Brothers, Joan Baez, and the John Butler Trio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nutana, Saskatoon</span> City of Saskatoon neighborhood in Saskatchewan, Canada

Nutana is a primarily residential neighbourhood located near the centre of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It includes the business district of Broadway Avenue. It comprises a nearly even mixture of low-density, single detached dwellings and apartment-style multiple unit dwellings. As of 2009, the area is home to 6,261 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a middle to upper-income area, with an average family income of $67,657, an average dwelling value of $206,830 and a home ownership rate of 51.3%. First established in 1883, Nutana was the original settlement of what now makes up the city of Saskatoon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Business District, Saskatoon</span> Neighbourhood in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

The Central Business District is one of seven development districts in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The central business district is Ward 6 of a Mayor-Council government represented by councillor Cynthia Block. Formerly called West Saskatoon, this area arose when the steam engines built their pumping stations on the lower west bank of the South Saskatchewan River. Retail enterprises sprang up around the newly created train station and rail yards. The city of Saskatoon's Central Business District has shopping malls and boutiques.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Park, Saskatoon</span> Neighbourhood in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

City Park is a mixed-use neighbourhood located near the center of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It comprises a mix of single-family detached homes, apartment buildings and other semi-detached dwellings. It also contains a number of commercial zones with businesses. As of 2009, the area was home to 4,405 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a middle-income area, with an average family income of $42,236, an average dwelling value of $245,254 and a home ownership rate of 28.6%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haultain, Saskatoon</span> Neighbourhood in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Haultain is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in south-central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a suburban subdivision, consisting mostly of low-density, single detached dwellings. As of 2007, the area is home to 2,742 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a middle-income area, with an average family income of $47,890, an average dwelling value of $201,503 and a home ownership rate of 59.3%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Queen Elizabeth, Saskatoon</span> Neighbourhood in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Queen Elizabeth is a mostly residential neighbourhood located in south-central Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a suburban subdivision, consisting mostly of low-density, single detached dwellings. As of 2007, the area is home to 2,491 residents. The neighbourhood is considered a middle-income area, with an average family income of $61,904, an average dwelling value of $280,970 and a home ownership rate of 66.9%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatoon Fringe Theatre Festival</span> Fringe festival in Saskatchewan

The Saskatoon Fringe Festival produced by 25th Street Theatre is an annual Fringe theatre festival in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. A Fringe Festival is not censored, and not juried, provides live theatre inexpensively, and a public busking forum for musicians. The 10-day international theatre, arts, and culture Festival is hosted annually in the Broadway District in the Nutana neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxy Theatre (Saskatoon)</span>

The Roxy Theatre is a movie theatre (cinema) in the Riversdale neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, built during the onset of the Great Depression.

David Webster (1885–1952) was a Scottish-Canadian architect best known for his designs of elementary schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. His school designs were often in a Collegiate Gothic style emphasizing a central tower, locally referred to as a "castle style". Along with other local architects of his era, such as Walter LaChance and Storey and Van Egmond, Webster prospered during the province’s 1912 economic boom which sparked a frenzy of new construction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Persephone Theatre</span>

Persephone Theatre is a regional theatre company in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The company was founded in 1974 by director Brian Richmond and sisters Janet Wright and Susan Wright and named after the Greek goddess Persephone. The first season performances were held at the Mendel Art Gallery, with the second season at the University of Saskatchewan's Greystone Theatre and the third season at the St. Thomas Wesley Church hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burton Cummings Theatre</span>

The Burton Cummings Theatre is a theatre located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Built by local impresario Corliss Powers Walker, it was originally known as the Walker Theatre. The building was renamed after singer-songwriter and Winnipeg native Burton Cummings in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remai Modern</span> Art museum in Saskatchewan, Canada

Remai Modern is a public art museum in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The art museum is situated along the west bank of the South Saskatchewan River, at the River Landing development in Saskatoon's Central Business District. The museum's 11,582 square metres (124,670 sq ft) building was designed by Bruce Kuwabara of KPMB Architects in association with Architecture49.

References

  1. "SaskPower Financial Support for Broadway Theatre". Government of Saskatchewan. June 18, 2003. Archived from the original on October 10, 2010. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  2. "Collections". Saskatoon Public Library. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  3. Ward, Caitlin (September 10, 2007). "Changing Lanes – Broadway District Filled with Colourful History". Planet S Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  4. "Broadway Theatre". Municipal Heritage Properties. City of Saskatoon – Planning and Development Branch. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  5. "Behind the Scenes". Broadway Theatre. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  6. "Broadway Theatre Rental Information" (PDF). Broadway Theatre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-10-02. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  7. "The Broadway Theatre". Canadian Register of Historic Places . Parks Canada . Retrieved 2011-04-13.
  8. Rivest, Mike. "History of Movie Theatres in Saskatchewan" . Retrieved 2011-04-13.