The Play's the Thing

The Walker Theatre National Historic Site in Winnipeg, Man., hosted the usual theatre stuff, but is most famous for the political rallies that happened there, especially the Women’s Parliament of 1914 aimed at winning the right to vote.

With its rounded red-brick front and big green-trimmed windows, you can’t miss the dramatic Capitol Theatre / Quebec Auditorium National Historic Site near the Saint-Jean gate to Old Quebec. Pictured at left, it began as a place for plays in 1903, became a movie theatre, and is once again home to theatrical productions. (Photo credit: urban_lenny / Flickr.)

If you’re in the town of Lindsay, Ont., you can visit the Academy Theatre, built in 1892 and decide for yourself whether ghost live there. Not far away in Cobourg is the elegant Victoria Hall, which hosts plays and music all year round. It was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1860.

Check out one of the oldest surviving theatres on the island of Newfoundland in Bonavista. The Garrick Theatre opened in 1945 and now offers both live performances and movies. (Photo credit: Marc Lafrenière. Appears as teaser image on previous page.)

For most of its history, it was a place of worship for Roman Catholics, but the Old Church Theatre in Courtenay, B.C., has been a centre of community performances since it was rescued from destruction in 1992 after its religious life ended.