The Ontario government will invest $35 million over three years to help rebuild the Shaw Festival’s aging Royal George Theatre.
The announcement Tuesday comes after the repertory company in Niagara-on-the-Lake previously said it was permanently closing the 305-seat venue at the end of this year due to persistent infrastructure issues.
The proposed theatre that will replace it is expected to honour the original building’s design, the province said, but will also include about 20 per cent more seats, accessible front-of-house areas and new rehearsal space. The project is expected to be completed by the spring of 2029.
“The Shaw Festival is a cultural icon for Ontario and for Canada, and is just one of the many great reasons to visit Niagara-on-the-Lake and the broader Niagara Region throughout the year,” said Stan Cho, minister of tourism, culture and gaming, in a statement announcing the rebuild.
The province estimated the reconstruction project will create 550 new jobs and contribute $80 million in GDP.
“Rebuilding this beloved venue has been a priority for us, not just so we can continue to deliver outstanding theatre here in the heart of wine country, but to play our part in accelerating the growth of our region as a world-class centre for cultural tourism,” said Tim Jennings, executive director and CEO of the Shaw Festival, in the release.
The existing Royal George Theatre, which began its life as a vaudeville house in 1915, stands on the site of a former blacksmith shop. It was initially an entertainment venue for troops stationed in town during the First World War, then served for years as a movie theatre.
The Shaw Festival acquired the space in 1980, hosting dozens of productions in the decades since. But the venue has become a liability for the organization in recent years. In the 2023 season, a water leak in the building’s clay foundation forced the cancellation of several performances.
Before it closes, the Royal George Theatre will host four productions this season. “Tons of Money,” the British farce by Will Evans and Arthur Valentine, will run from April to October in a new production helmed by Eda Holmes.
In June, Peter Hinton-Davis will direct Bernard Shaw’s “Major Barbara,” a social satire about a Salvation Army officer and her estranged father. The play is the sole Shavian offering programmed for the upcoming season. It’s followed by “Murder-on-the-Lake,” a new whodunit drama by Rebecca Northan and Bruce Horak that begins performances in July.
Shaw Festival artistic director Tim Carroll will then close the Royal George Theatre with his production of “A Christmas Carol,” which has been revived annually since it premiered in 2017.
