The Broadway Theatre is an art film

Art film

An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...

 and performance theatre located on Broadway Avenue in the Nutana

Nutana, Saskatoon

Nutana is a primarily residential neighbourhood located near the center of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It includes the business district of Broadway Avenue. It comprises a nearly even mixture of low-density, single detached dwellings and apartment-style multiple unit dwellings. As of 2009,...

 neighborhood of Saskatoon

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The theatre is Canada's only community-owned non-profit reperatory cinema

Revival house

A revival house or repertory cinema is a term for a cinema that specializes in showing classic or notable older films . Such venues may include standard repertory cinemas, multi-function theatres that alternate between old movies and live events, and some first-run theatres that show past...

.

History

The Streamline Moderne

Streamline Moderne

Streamline Moderne, sometimes referred to by either name alone or as Art Moderne, was a late type of the Art Deco design style which emerged during the 1930s...

 style movie theatre was designed by George Forrester with the architectural firm of Webster and Gilbert

David Webster (architect)

David Webster was a Scottish-Canadian architect best known for his designs of elementary schools in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. His school designs were often in a Collegiate Gothic style emphasizing a central tower, locally referred to as a "castle style"...

 and opened on December 5, 1946. The theatre was Broadway's entertainment destination during the post-World War II years. It screened popular movies of the period and hosted some live musical performances on the stage in front of the movie screen. Following the neighbourhood's decline starting in the 1950s, the theatre fell into disrepute by the 1970s when it became an "adult" movie theatre. It was restored as an art film

Art film

An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...

 cinema and live performance venue during the 1980s. It was designated a municipal heritage property on April 14, 1997.

On August 2, 1993, the Broadway Theatre abruptly closed its doors. After a public fundraising drive, it was purchased by the Friends of the Broadway Theatre, Inc. a non-profit organization with charitable status dedicated to the preservation and renovation of the theatre. It reopened in October 1993, resuming its previous role. In addition to art, Canadian and regional cinema, the theatre also hosts some live music performances.

Facility

The theatre seats 240 in a centre bank of seats with another 95 in each of the side banks for a total of 430 seats, plus 6 wheelchair stations. The stage is of a proscenium

Proscenium

A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...

 style, made of black masonite

Masonite

Masonite is a type of hardboard invented by William H. Mason.-History:Masonite was invented in 1924 in Laurel, Mississippi, by William H. Mason. Mass production started in 1929. In the 1930s and 1940s Masonite was used for many applications including doors, roofing, walls, desktops, and canoes...

 and measures 10.79 metres (35.4 ft) wide and 7.32 metres (24 ft) deep. The movie screen is 7.8 metres (25.6 ft) wide by 3.77 metres (12.4 ft) high, with a projection throw of 31.39 metres (103 ft). The lobby has terrazzo

Terrazzo

Terrazzo is a composite material poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of marble, quartz, granite, glass or other suitable chips, sprinkled or unsprinkled, and poured with a binder that is cementitious, chemical or a combination of both...

 flooring and recessed valance lighting around the doorways to the theatre area.

Operators

The theatre changed hands and focus several times, including:

• 1947-1959 Odeon
• 1967-1975 Famous Players
• 1977-1983 Adult movie theatre
• 1984-1985 Live performances
• 1987 Movie theatre
• 1993 Friends of the Broadway