The Corona Theatre (french: Théâtre Corona), in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada is located at 2490 Notre-Dame Street West in the

Little Burgundy Little Burgundy (french: La Petite-Bourgogne) is a neighbourhood in the South West borough of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Its approximate boundaries are Atwater Avenue to the west, Saint-Antoine to the north, Guy Street ...

neighbourhood of the borough of

Le Sud-Ouest Le Sud-Ouest ( en, "the southwest") is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Geography Le Sud-Ouest is an amalgam of several neighbourhoods with highly distinct histories and identities, mainly with working-cla ...

. It is one of several vintage movie theatres in Montreal whose façade and interior have retained their original appearance. It is mostly used for musical performances and live events.

History

The theatre was built in 1912 for

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

. Originally known as the Family Theatre, it was designed by architects Joseph-Cajetan Dufort and Louis-Joseph-Théophile Décary for the Duchess Amusement Company; which owned the theatre until 1923, when it was sold to the United Amusements Corporation. With the sale, the theatre acquired the current name, and was modified by architect Daniel John Crighton and theatre decorator

Emmanuel Briffa Emmanuel Briffa (September 4, 1875 – 1955) was a Maltese Canadian theatre decorator whose career in North America spanned thirty years, starting in 1912. Devoted almost entirely to theatre decoration since immigrating to North America from ...

. The original glass and metal marquee were also replaced by a cast-iron design by Crighton in 1938. It was acquired by the city of Montreal in 1967 and then rented to the Noiseux Plumbing Supply Co., which used the hall as storage. In the 1980s it was a filming location for films by

André Forcier André Forcier (born Marc-André Forcier on July 19, 1947) is a Canadian film director and screenwriter. His work has been linked to Latin American magic realism by its use of fantasy but is firmly rooted in Quebec's reality. His unromanticized, e ...

and

Jean Beaudin Jean Beaudin (6 February 1939 – 18 May 2019) was a Canadian film director and screenwriter. He directed 20 films since 1969. His film '' J.A. Martin Photographer'', was entered into the 1977 Cannes Film Festival, where Monique Mercure won the ...

. It was re-opened briefly in the summer of 1987 by Les Petites Filles aux Allumettes for performances of hybrid theatre and visual arts. It was acquired by the

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

"''Institut des arts de la scène''" in October 1997 and was renovated and reopened in 1998. Its facade was restored in 2004. The interior of the theatre suffered C$50,000 of damage following an electrical fire in March 2007. In December 2012, the theatre was acquired by

Virgin Mobile Virgin Mobile is a wireless communications brand used by seven independent brand-licensees worldwide. Virgin Mobile branded wireless communications services are available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Kuwait, Saudi Ara ...

in partnership with

Evenko Evenko is a Montreal-based event promoter. The company is owned by the Montreal Canadiens' ownership group Groupe CH, which is controlled by the Molson family. It handles event booking for venues such as Bell Centre, the Corona Theatre, and Plac ...

, and the latter is now the property manager.

References

External links

Corona Theatre
{{Coord, 45.4829, -73.5751, type:landmark_region:CA-QC, display=title 1912 establishments in Quebec Cinemas and movie theatres in Quebec Former cinemas in Montreal Heritage buildings of Quebec Le Sud-Ouest Theatres completed in 1912 Theatres in Montreal