McPherson Playhouse
Encyclopedia
The McPherson Playhouse, known as The Mac, is a theatre
and concert hall in Victoria
, British Columbia
, Canada
. Part of the Centennial Square complex on the north side of Downtown Victoria
, adjacent to the intersection of Pandora and Government Streets, it was originally built as a Pantages Theatre
in 1914. In the 1960s it was donated, with supporting funding for its renovation, to the people of Victoria by Thomas Shanks McPherson. It became part of the Centennial Square redevelopment, finished in 1965. Renovations preserved and refurbished the Neo-Baroque auditorium but added a modern lobby and various technical improvements.
The theatre hosts professional, community and amateur events year-round and is operated as a licensee/rental venue, under the administration of the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society, which also manages the Royal Theatre. The theatre has two balconies and has a total maximum seating of 772.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and concert hall in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, 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...
. Part of the Centennial Square complex on the north side of Downtown Victoria
Downtown Victoria
Downtown Victoria is a neighbourhood of Victoria, British Columbia that acts as the commercial and entertainment hub of the city and surrounding region....
, adjacent to the intersection of Pandora and Government Streets, it was originally built as a Pantages Theatre
Canon Theatre
-History:The Canon Theatre began as the Pantages Theatre in 1920 as a combination vaudeville and motion picture house. Designed by the great theatre architect Thomas W. Lamb, it was the largest cinema in Canada and one of the most elegant.The Pantages was built by the Canadian motion picture...
in 1914. In the 1960s it was donated, with supporting funding for its renovation, to the people of Victoria by Thomas Shanks McPherson. It became part of the Centennial Square redevelopment, finished in 1965. Renovations preserved and refurbished the Neo-Baroque auditorium but added a modern lobby and various technical improvements.
The theatre hosts professional, community and amateur events year-round and is operated as a licensee/rental venue, under the administration of the Royal and McPherson Theatres Society, which also manages the Royal Theatre. The theatre has two balconies and has a total maximum seating of 772.