The CAA Theatre, formerly the Panasonic Theatre, is a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

located at 651

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial Hi ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is operated by

Mirvish Productions Mirvish Productions is a Canadian based theatrical production company and promoter. The company was founded in 1987 by David Mirvish, son of Toronto retailing icon and owner of the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Ed Mirvish. The first assets acquired ...

. 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 formerly between 1935 and 2008 and the first incarnation of between 2008 and 2022, is a major Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb s ...

Theatre. In February 2023, the ''Toronto Star'' reported that Mirvish sold the property in 2015, and that the current owner,

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a typ ...

firm KingSett Capital, was planning to redevelop the site as a high-rise mixed-use building.

History

Early years

The 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''.The CAA Theatre
/ref> 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 The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

(then known as the Festival of Festivals).

Conversion to live theatre

In 1993, the building was renovated for live theatre productions and renamed ''The New Yorker Theatre''.

Demolition and reconstruction

In 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 Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. is an American global entertainment company and monopoly that was founded in 2010 following the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The company promotes, operates, and manages ticket sales for live entertainmen ...

and in 2008 by

Site redevelopment

In February 2023, the ''Toronto Star'' reported that Mirvish sold the property in 2015, citing property records. City records also indicate the current owner,

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.

Notable productions

Productions are listed by the year of their first performance.

Panasonic Theatre

*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 ''Clybourne Park'' is a 2010 play by Bruce Norris written as a spin-off to Lorraine Hansberry's play ''A Raisin in the Sun'' (1959). It portrays fictional events set during and after the Hansberry play, and is loosely based on historical events ...

'', ''Mary Walsh's Dancing with Rage'', '' Cats'', ''

God of Carnage ''God of Carnage'' (originally in French ''Le Dieu du carnage'') is a play by Yasmina Reza that was first published in 2008. It is about two sets of parents; the son of one couple has hurt the son of the other couple at a public park. The paren ...

'', '' The Musical of Musicals (The Musical!)'' *2014: ''Arrabal'', ''Dead Metaphor'', '' The Boy With Tape On His Face'', ''

Buyer & Cellar ''Buyer & Cellar'' is a one-man play by Jonathan Tolins. The play premiered at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theater in New York City on April 2, 2013. The production starred Michael Urie and was directed by Stephen Brackett. The same production th ...

'' *2015: '' Boom'', ''

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike ''Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike'' is a comedy play written by Christopher Durang. The story revolves around the relationships of three middle-aged single siblings, two of whom live together, and takes place during a visit by the third, ...

'', '' Seminar'' *2016: ''Bigmouth'', ''

Disgraced ''Disgraced'' is a 2012 play by novelist and screenwriter Ayad Akhtar. It premiered in Chicago and has had Off-Broadway and Off West End engagements. The play, which won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Thea ...

'', ''Fight Night'', '' Potted Potter'' *2017: ''

My Night with Reg ''My Night with Reg'' is a play by British playwright Kevin Elyot which was produced in 1994 by the Royal Court Theatre, London, directed by Roger Michell. The production later transferred to the West End. Entirely set among London's gay co ...

'', ''Butcher'', ''An Evening with Stephen Schwartz'', ''

Salt-Water Moon ''Salt-Water Moon'' is a Canadian theatrical play by David French, first staged by Tarragon Theatre in 1984.Stephen Godfrey, "Tale of two partners adds a new chapter with Mercers' return". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 1, 1984. It is the third in ...

CAA Theatre

*2017: '' Million Dollar Quartet '' *2018: '' King Charles III '', '' Fun Home'', '' Potted Potter'' *2019: '' Oslo'', '' A Doll's House, Part 2'', ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing ...

'', ''Piaf/Dietrich'' *2020: '' Us/Them'' *2022: '' Indecent'' *2023: ''

Things I Know to Be True ''Things I Know To Be True'' is a play, premiered by The State Theatre Company South Australia in May 2016. It has also been performed in Britain by Frantic Assembly, in Sydney at the New Theatre (2022), in the United States in a co-production w ...

References

External links

* {{Coord, 43.6679, N, 79.3856, W, region:CA-ON_type:landmark, display=title Theatres in Toronto Cinemas and movie theatres in Ontario Former cinemas in Canada Movie palaces Mirvish family