The Orpheum is a theatre and music venue in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, Canada. Along with the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, the Vancouver Playhouse, and the Annex, it is part of the Vancouver Civic Theatres group of live performance venues. It is the permanent home of the

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The VSO performs at the Orpheum, which has been the orchestra's permanent home since 1977. With an annual operating budget of $16 million, it is ...

. The Orpheum is located on Granville Street near Smithe Street in Vancouver's

downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...

. The interior of the theatre was featured in the 2004 reboot of ''

Battlestar Galactica ''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. It began with the original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel series, '' Galactica 1980'', a line of book adaptat ...

'', where it is dressed to portray a heavenly opera house.

History

Designed by Scottish architect Marcus Priteca,The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: B. Marcus Priteca
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. the theatre hosted its first shows on November 7, 1927 and officially opened as a

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 ...

house the next day.The Orpheum Theatre:‘The Grand Old Lady of Granville Street’
Retrieved on 2017-11-08.
Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. The old Orpheum, at 761 Granville Street, was renamed the Vancouver Theatre (later the Lyric, then the International Cinema, then the Lyric once more before it closed for demolition in 1969 to make way for the first phase of the

Pacific Centre Pacific Centre (officially CF Pacific Centre since 2015) is a shopping mall located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is owned by Cadillac Fairview, the Ontario Pension Board, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and is man ...

project).Four Orpheums
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. The New Orpheum, which was the biggest theatre in Canada when it opened in 1927, with three thousand seats, cost $1.25 million to construct.The Vancouver Board of Trade Sounding Board (January-February 1998)
Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
Retrieved on 2008-06-07. The first manager of the theatre was William A. Barnes. Following the end of vaudeville's heyday in the early 1930s, the Orpheum became primarily a movie house under

Famous Players Famous Players Limited Partnership was a Canadian-based subsidiary of Cineplex Entertainment. As an independent company, it existed as a film exhibitor and cable television service provider. Famous Players operated numerous film, movie theatre ...

ownership, although it would continue to host live events on occasion. Ivan Ackery managed the Orpheum during most of this period, from 1935The History of Metropolitan Vancouver: Ivan Ackery (Part II)
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. up until his 1969 retirement.
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. In 1973, for economic reasons, Famous Players decided to gut the inside of the Orpheum and change it into a multiplex.
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. A "Save the Orpheum" public protest and fundraising campaign was launched, which even

Jack Benny Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with ...

flew in to help with, and the Orpheum was saved. On March 19, 1974, the City of Vancouver bought the theatre for $7.1 million, with $3.1 million coming from the city itself, and $1.5 million from each of the provincial and federal governments. The Orpheum closed on November 23, 1975, and a renovation and restoration was done by the architectural company Thomson, Berwick, Pratt and Partners.Orpheum Theatre
''The Canadian Encyclopedia''. Retrieved on 2008-06-07. It re-opened on April 2, 1977, and has since been the permanent home of the

.Cinema Treasures: Orpheum Theatre
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. Tony Heinsbergen, a U.S. designer who originally chose the color scheme for the interior (ivory, moss green, gold and burgundy) was brought back, fifty years later, for the renovation.
Retrieved on 2008-06-01. In 1983, an additional entrance was opened on Smithe Street. Orpheum Vancouver - Neon Sign at night 01

Orpheum Vancouver - Neon Sign at night 01

The theatre was designated a

National Historic Site of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

in 1979. The Orpheum's present

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in Decem ...

was installed during the 1970s, donated to the theatre by Jim Pattison. The theatre and its neon sign have been used as a key location in several episodes of the science-fiction series ''

'' and ''

Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...

'', as well as '' Highlander: The Series''. It was also the location of the filming of the Dan Mangan documentary '' What Happens Next?'' by Brent Hodge. In 2006, the Capitol Residences development was proposed for the old Capitol 6 cinema site adjacent to the Orpheum. The City of Vancouver gave the developer permission for extra height and density on their site in return for a major expansion to the Orpheum, including a long desired back stage area. This was the largest amenities trade in the history of the city, and will increase the usability of the facility.

Notes

External links

Orpheum Website
{{Authority control Music venues in Vancouver Theatres in Vancouver Heritage buildings in Vancouver Theatres completed in 1927 B. Marcus Priteca buildings National Historic Sites in British Columbia Buildings and structures on the National Historic Sites of Canada register Vaudeville theaters Former cinemas in Canada Vancouver Symphony Orchestra

History

See also

Notes

External links