Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
The Royal Alexandra Theatre, named after Alexandra of Denmark (1844-1925), the wife of King Edward VII (1841-1910), began operation in Toronto, Ontario, in 1907. With a seating capacity of 1407, it began its life as a theatre owned by stock companies in WWI. From there, it became a Broadway tryout site until Ed Mirvish purchased the building in 1963. It became the centre of Canadian Theatre, featuring many large shows. It was in operation 52 weeks of the year, which was a first for theatres in Canada.
When Mirvish's son, David Mirvish, took over as the executive producer in 1986, the house was opened up to companies like the Stratford Festival, Citadel Theatre, and the Shaw Festival in order to bring their productions to Toronto. This theatre house also produced the first Indigenous play to receive commercial production, Tomson Highway's Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing. Three years later, in 1989, the House hosted its first of many mega musicals, Les Misérables.