Hart House Theatre

The Hart House Theatre in September 2024

Hart House Theatre is a 428-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario located on the campus of the University of Toronto in the Hart House Student Centre. The theatre serves the university and the Toronto community at large.[1][2]

Hart House Theatre opened in November 1919.[3] Construction was financed by the Massey Foundation. The first artistic director was Roy Mitchell, who was there for two seasons before resigning over disagreements with the Board of Syndics.[4] Healey Willan was music director from 1919 to 1925.[5]

The Art Deco theatre has been a starting ground for many well-known actors, directors, playwrights, and designers including: Raymond Massey, Dora Mavor Moore, Lloyd Bochner, Lawren Harris, Arthur Lismer, Wayne and Shuster, and Merrill Denison.[citation needed]

Hart House Theater logo
  1. ^ "Technical Information". Hart House Theatre. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  2. ^ "About Us". Hart House Theatre. Retrieved 2024-09-25.
  3. ^ "Hart House Theatre opens next month". Star Weekly. October 25, 1919. p. 24. Retrieved September 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Usmiani, Renate (1987). "Roy Mitchell: Prophet in Our Past". Theatre Research in Canada / Recherches Théâtrales Au Canada. 8 (2): 147–168. doi:10.3138/tric.8.2.147.
  5. ^ "Hart House | The Canadian Encyclopedia". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 2022-03-10.