The Imperial Theatre is a historical theater at King's Square in Saint John,

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

. It was designed by Philadelphia architect Albert Westover and built in 1912 by the Imperial Theatre by the Keith-Albee-Orpheum Corporation

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

chain of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and their Canadian subsidiary, the Saint John Amusements Company Ltd. It opened to the public on September 19, 1913. One of Canada's first comedy troupes, The Dumbbells staged several of their first shows there. Many early stars of

silent film A silent film is a film without 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, w ...

had their films played in the Imperial, such as

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

, Fatty Arbuckle,

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

, and

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

. In 1928, the Imperial Theatre became home to

Acadia Broadcasting Acadia Broadcasting Limited is a Canadian radio broadcasting Broadcast network, network that operates 5 FM broadcasting, FM radio Radio broadcasting, stations in Northwestern Ontario and 10 in the Atlantic Canada, Atlantic Canadian provinces of New ...

's first commercial radio station. The theatre was designed as a modern adaptation of the

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

, and was used both for live vaudeville acts as well as "talkies". In 1929, it was renamed the Capitol Theatre, and like most vaudeville houses across the continent, became a cinema. From 1957 to 1982, the Imperial Theatre was used as a meeting space by the Full Gospel Assembly. In 1982 the Imperial was abandoned by the religious group.

Renaissance of the Imperial Theatre

In the mid-1980s, a grass-roots campaign began to save the theatre began with a $1 down-payment (on a $1 million option to purchase the building, with the balance due within one year) by a local taxi driver. By the deadline, over $1.1 million had been raised, most of which was contributed by the citizens of Saint John. This is the reason for the high interest in the Imperial - every individual in the city owns a part of it. Seats in the theatre have the names of contributors. The theatre has been restored to its 1913 glory, with the original mouldings and intricate plasterwork having been repaired or replicated. The interior of the Imperial has been faithfully re-created. The Imperial has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Technical details

Imperial Theatre is a fully restored Victorian proscenium arch-type facility. The arch is a spectacular architectural feat, and frames the stage beautifully from all viewing positions. STAGE DIMENSIONS Proscenium arch width: 42’ - 6’ height: 26’ - 2’ (at centre line) Curtain line to upstage wall: 42’ - 0’ downstage apron: 3’ - 0’ edge of pit elevator: 11’ - 0’ Centre-line to stage left clear: 48’ - 6’" stage right clear: 38’ - 3" Wing free height up stage left: 21’ - 6" down stage left: 27’ - 5" stage right: 22’

References

External links

Imperial Theatre site

City of Saint John Historic Sites
{{NHSC Theatres in New Brunswick Buildings and structures in Saint John, New Brunswick Music venues in New Brunswick National Historic Sites in New Brunswick Italianate architecture in Canada Tourist attractions in Saint John, New Brunswick