New theatre museum set to open this fall at historic Toronto site

A new museum is coming to a historic site in downtown Toronto later this year.

Canada’s Theatre Museum announced Thursday that it has found a new home within the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre beginning this fall. The location marks the museum’s first permanent venue in the organization’s history.

“This exciting new museum will be an integral part of Canada’s theatre community, past, present and future with space for dynamic exhibits, presentations and educational programming,” said Michael Wallace, executive director of Canada’s Theatre Museum, in a news release issued Thursday.

The museum also announced Thursday that Canadian actor Colm Feore will be the organization’s honorary patron as it prepares to set up its first physical site.

Founded in 1990 by theatre critic Herbert Whittaker, the museum, formerly known as Theatre Museum Canada, has previously hosted pop-up exhibits at venues like the Toronto Reference Library and Canadian National Exhibition. It also maintains a virtual site, including an online oral history project featuring more than 60 interviews with Canadian theatre pioneers.

The museum also said it is planning a $5-million campaign that will help build capital and provide funding for the new site and its operations.

The museum’s new venue, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, is a national historic site and the last operating vaudeville-era stacked theatres in the world.