Theatres
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On Saturday May 26, 2018 - the Princess of Wales Theatre turned a quarter century old. The building opened on the same day in 1993 with the Canadian premiere of MISS SAIGON. It was a big deal back then and we'd like to think it's still a big deal today. Designed by architect Peter Smith, with an interior design by the then up-and-coming design firm Yabu Pushelberg, now world renowned, and featuring artwork by the brilliant Frank Stella, the POW (as it's known by the staff) was the first privately built, stand-alone theatre in North America in over 50 years.
Visit our timeline page that will take you through the building’s construction and history, highlighting some of the more than 78 shows that have played there in the last 25 years.
The Princess of Wales theatre is located at King Street West & John, in the heart of Toronto's Entertainment District. The theatre is two blocks west of Roy Thomson Hall and two blocks north of the Rogers Centre the CN Tower and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
How To Get Here
If you are arriving by car from out of town, the Princess of Wales is only a few blocks north of the Gardiner Expressway (the QEW, to and from Hamilton, Niagara and Buffalo). Exit the Gardiner at Spadina and turn right (east) at the third traffic light, on Adelaide Street.
CITY OF TORONTO'S KING STREET PILOT PROJECT
The City of Toronto's King Street Pilot Project will reduce traffic in front of the Mirvish King Street theatres. You will continue to be able to travel between University Avenue and Peter Street, though no left turns will be permitted at any point through the King Street Pilot Project area.
TRANSIT & ROAD CLOSURE NOTICE:
The York, Bay, Yonge Gardiner off-ramp will be closed due to planned construction until January 2018. Those arriving by way of the Gardiner must exit at Jameson, Spadina or Jarvis to get to the downtown core.
If you are driving into Toronto via Highway 401 (the MacDonald-Cartier Freeway), the Gardiner Expressway is linked to the 401 to the east by the Don Valley Parkway (Highway 404) and to the west by Highway 427.
There are four levels of parking located beneath the Princess of Wales, with an entrance ramp off John Street. Wheelchair ramps to the elevators are located on level P1 & level P4.The maximum height clearance is 6 feet 5 and 3/4 inches. An elevator takes you from the parking garage to the theatre entrance on King Street West. Please note: there are no left turns allowed off King St. West during rush hours; if you are coming to the Princess of Wales Theatre, eastbound on King St. West, you may have to go around the block to reach the John St. entrance to the parking garage.
Indoor parking is also available at the Hyatt-Regency Toronto, on King Street, one block west of the Princess of Wales.
The CAA Lounge is in the lower level of the Princess of Wales Theatre and all patrons are welcome.
Assisted Seating
The Princess of Wales is a modern building, dating from 1993, and features lobby elevators that service all levels of the theatre. Wheelchair and other assisted seating is available in the orchestra, the dress circle and the balcony. Elevators also service the lower lounge and the parking garage beneath the theatre. Wheelchair ramps to the elevators are located on level P1 & level P4. Note that elevators up from the parking garage exit to the street, beside the main entrance, and not into the theatre itself.
Patrons requiring seating assistance are urged to call TicketKing at 416.872.1212 or toll-free at 1.800.461.3333.
Facilities for the Hearing-Impaired
The Princess of Wales theatre is equipped with an infra-red listening system for the benefit of the hearing-impaired. This system requires use of headsets which are available, free of charge, at the theatre coat-check counters.
There are two types of headsets available, the "stethoscope" style for people who don't use hearing aids and the "neck loop" for use with a hearing aid (with the aid switched to the 'T' position). "Stethoscope" headsets require no advance reservation. Patrons requiring the "neck loop" are asked to call the theatre at 416.593.0351 ext 331 - Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, or to email hwatson@mirvish.com, in order to reserve a headset as there are limited numbers. Patrons borrowing headsets will be asked to leave a piece of photo ID or credit card (as a form of security deposit) which will be given back when the undamaged headset is returned, following the performance.
Further Information
If you wish any further information about any of our facilities, please call TicketKing at 416.872.1212 or, toll free, at 1.800.461.3333. You may also email us with any questions or comments at info@mirvish.com
For your convenience, a coat check is located on the main entrance of the lobby. The cost is $2.50.
The Princess of Wales Theatre has four bars/refreshment counters, one on each level: CAA Lounge (lower level), Orchestra Foyer, Dress Circle Foyer and Balcony Foyer. Each counter sells a limited selection of alcoholic beverages - wine, liquor, liqueurs and bottled beer - as well as non-alcoholic beverages, including bottled spring water, soft drinks and coffee. In addition, an assortment of snacks is available at each counter, including cookies, packaged candy and ice cream.
In addition to the counters, there are carts set up in various lobby spaces. These offer a limited selection of the same products that are sold at the bars, but. generally, only the non-alcoholic beverages.
The Princess of Wales also has rovers who walk around the theatre selling products that they carry around with them - most often ice cream and bottled water.
All products that are sold in our lobby spaces may be taken by patrons to their seats.
Bars accept debit and credit cards and cash.
Did you lose an item in the theatre?
Please contact:
Haley Watson
Tel: 416.593.0351, ext. 331
hwatson@mirvish.com
Princess Suite
The Princess Suite is a private room that can accommodate up to 25 people. The suite is located on the dress circle level of the theatre and is available to rent for special occasions. This suite includes a private restroom, bar and complimentary coat check.
Mirvish Suite
The Mirvish Suite is a small private room that can accommodate up to 12 people. This suite is located on the basement level of the theatre adjacent to the CAA Lounge, and is available to rent for special occasions. This suite includes a private restroom, bar and complimentary coat check. You can access the 360 degree view of the theatre here. Select Suites & Lounges.
You can access the 360 degree view of the theatre here. Select Suites & Lounges. Please contact the group sales office at 416-593-4142 or 1-800-724-6420 or visit the group sales site here for more information on theatre receptions.
In addition to the auditorium, the theatre includes spacious lobbies and lounges in which to hold more private events, such as cocktail receptions, small business meetings and product launches. These areas are fully licensed and can accommodate up to 425 guests.
Mirvish Productions is a full service company with expertise in every facet of event planning including production, front of house and media placement.
To learn more about the technical aspects of the Princess of Wales Theatre, including collective agreements and technical drawings, please visit us at www.mirvishproductions.com
If you would like to have someone from Mirvish Productions contact you about your event, please fill out the form below and we will be in touch with you soon.
Theatre Rental Booking Inquiry Form
The Princess of Wales Theatre is a modern, 2000-seat playhouse built by the father and son producing team of David and Ed Mirvish, just a block away from their historic Royal Alexandra Theatre. The Princess of Wales is the first privately owned and financed theatre built in Canada since 1907 - and the first anywhere in North America in over 30 years. Construction began on August 6, 1991, and the building opened to the public with the musical Miss Saigon on May 26, 1993.
The theatre was built with maximum flexibility in mind. Its stage is one of the widest and deepest in North America - large enough to accommodate the most spectacular theatrical productions - and its technical facilities are state-of-the-art.
The auditorium represents a happy marriage of the best ideas in theatre design from this century and the last. Architect Peter Smith, a winner of the Governor-General's Award for his theatre designs, accepted the challenge of building a large, modern theatre - with a huge stage and fly tower - that would somehow seat 2000, in exceptional comfort, while preserving the elegance and intimacy of a traditional, nineteenth century theatre - and doing it all on a small downtown plot of land.
Smith's solution features a horseshoe-shaped, two-balcony seating plan, with balconies connected to the proscenium by box seats. With seating on three levels - orchestra, dress circle and balcony - the Princess of Wales is surprisingly intimate. None of its 2000 seats is more than 85 feet from the stage, and all enjoy excellent sight-lines in an acoustically near-perfect auditorium.
The award-winning firm Yabu-Pushelberg is responsible for the interior designs of the theatre's spacious lobbies and lounges. The company's work employs the finest natural materials and is characterized by an unusual mixture of contemporary and traditional design themes.
The theatre interior features the work of dozens of highly skilled artists and crafts people, creators of its Venetian terrazzo floors, luminous glass and tile mosaics, blown-glass lamps and hand-made metal light fixtures. The wooden wall panels, doorways, arches, bars and handrails are made from an unusual variety of mahogany - Sapele wood - from Africa. Veneers, sliced in the field on order for this project, were shipped to Toronto and fitted together by expert woodworkers to emphasize a signature swirl in the grain - nicknamed "the Mirvish Swirl". The mahogany woodwork throughout the building covers a total area of over 20,000 square feet.
The colourful murals that decorate the interior walls, the proscenium arch, the fly tower and the spectacular ceiling dome are the work of renowned contemporary artist Frank Stella. The murals cover over 10,000 square feet and represent what is believed to be the largest mural commission of this century. Stella has echoed his mural themes in the sculpted reliefs that face the dress circle, balcony and box seats. Similar sculptures, in cast aluminum, decorate both ends of each row of seats throughout the auditorium.
Frank Stella's mural designs for the Princess of Wales Theatre have been exhibited in art museums around the world, with one original model now hanging in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada.
The Princess of Wales is a showcase of all that is best in both traditional and contemporary design. The Toronto Star described it as, "...a glittering glass jewelry case, a sparkling glimpse into a spectacle of total design." In the years since its public opening, the theatre has hosted hundreds of visitors - architects, designers, engineers and theatre professionals from all over the world - who have come not just to see a show, but to study the architecture, design and art work of this landmark theatre.