The Opera House (Toronto)

For home of the Canadian Opera Company, see Four Seasons Centre.

The Opera House is a music venue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is one of the city's most historic performing venues, opening in 1905.^[1] It has also been a cinema and a live theatre venue. It is located at 735 Queen Street East, east of downtown in the Riverdale neighbourhood.

The Opera House

The Opera House in 2015
Former names	La Plaza Theatre Acropolis Dundas Cinema Ellas
Address	735 Queen Street E Toronto ON M4M 1H1
Location	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates	43.658949°N 79.348752°W / 43.658949; -79.348752
Type	Theater/Music Venue
Capacity	950 (680 Main Floor and 270 Balcony)
Construction
Built	1903
Opened	1905
Website
theoperahousetoronto.com

History

The building opened in 1905 as the La Plaza Theatre, an Edwardian vaudeville stage. Seating almost 700, it was the main entertainment venue in the primarily working-class neighbourhood. As films eclipsed vaudeville, the theatre was turned into a cinema, continuing to use the name La Plaza Theatre until the 1960s, and later under a series of other names.^[2][3]

As multiplexes made large single screen venues no longer viable as cinemas, it became a performing arts venue. In the late 1980s, it was home to the successful gospel musical Mama, I Want to Sing!. In early 1989, it was renamed "The Opera House" and became a music venue.

Other uses

• The venue was used for the filming of the music video for the Headstones song, "Smile and Wave".^[4]
• The venue was used for the filming of the 1998 music video for the Barenaked Ladies song, "Brian Wilson".^[5]
• The venue was used for the filming of a scene in the 2000 film Loser in which the band Everclear performed a concert.^[6]
• The venue was used for the filming of the music video for The Tragically Hip song, "My Music at Work".^[7]