Theatre Scene

The curtain rises on over 10,000 shows in Toronto every year, put on by the city’s 200 professional theatre and dance companies. Shows range from Broadway-style musicals to smaller, independently produced plays. Like  the Famous People Players, Toronto’s internationally acclaimed troupe of developmentally handicapped  performers that simultaneously mesmerize and inspire with their black light magic.

The city’s 90 theatres divide loosely into three distinct hotspots. The Entertainment District has ornate, glossy theatres and Roy Thomson Hall, home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Moving east, the largest venues are the Hummingbird Centre, the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People and CanStage. In The Annex, theatres like the Tarragon often stage homegrown or alternative productions.

Major Event
The Toronto Fringe Festival is where the crazy, the innovative and the bizarre can stage their independent productions. Past shows include ”Drag Queens in Outer Space” and “Top Gun: The Musical.”

Ideal Destination
Just a short drive outside the city, there are two famous theatre festivals. The Stratford Festival focuses on William Shakespeare. Alec Guinness, Christopher Plummer and William Shatner have all graced the Stratford stage.  In Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Shaw Festival showcases the work of George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries.