Welcome to the Theatre….
One of the wonderful things about being a member of a photography club is the opportunity to shoot places that you wouldn’t normally have access to. One of these opportunities came about last month. I’m on the board of my club, The Toronto Digital Photography Club and I made mention that it would be great to be able to shoot at the Winter Garden Theatre here in Toronto. The answer came back…”that’s great Edith can you arrange an outing for us.” So after months of coordinating with the management of the theatre we were able to schedule a date when the theatre was dark, for our members to come in and shoot.
The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre complex was built in 1913 as the Canadian flagship of the Marcus Loew’s theatre chain. It was built as a double-decker complex with the Winter Garden seven stories above the Elgin Theatre. It was originally known as the Loew’s Yonge Street Theatre.
The two theatres were so dramatically different in style (as you’ll see in the images that I’ll post over the next little while). The Elgin was the more traditional of the two theatres, filled with gold leaf, rich fabrics and ornate opera boxes. The Winter Garden on the other hand was a botanical fantasy. The walls were painted to resemble a garden and its ceiling was adorned with branches, leaves and lanterns. “The theatres played host to such greats as George Burns and Gracie Allen, Sophie Tucker, Milton Berle and Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy.”
With the decline of vaudeville the Winter Garden closed in 1928. The Elgin continued to function as a movie house but it continue to decline into disrepair with each passing decade. In 1981 the Ontario Heritage Trust purchased the building and in 1987 a $29 million restoration project began. The walls of the Winter Garden were painstakingly hand cleaned to avoid damaging the original hand painted watercolors. In 1989 the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre reopened and has once again become one of Canada’s finest theatre houses. Hits such as Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Rent, Tommy, Avenue Q has graced the stage and every year it now serves as one of the venues for gala screens for the Toronto International Film Festival.
Click on the image to enlarge (trust me it really looks better) or to Purchase a Print.
Wow! Edith, this is breathtaking! What a splendid place!
February 19, 2013 at 7:29 am
Thanks Anne.
February 19, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Amazing place Edith. Love the grandeur of the building. Love it.
February 19, 2013 at 7:37 am
Thanks Len. I appreciate it.
February 19, 2013 at 3:00 pm
Beautiful venue for sure! Really well captured here Edith! Love the soft gold and red tones!
February 19, 2013 at 7:48 am
Thanks so much Jim.
February 19, 2013 at 3:01 pm
My thoughts are the same as those of the other three commenters.
February 19, 2013 at 8:04 am
Thanks very much Steve.
February 19, 2013 at 3:01 pm
Beautiful place!!! Wonderful shot!!!
February 19, 2013 at 8:11 am
Thank you rexlin
February 19, 2013 at 3:01 pm
What an amazing venue Edith!
It’s like a feast for the eye
Love the colors!
February 19, 2013 at 8:19 am
Thanks so much
February 19, 2013 at 3:02 pm
As a member and the President of the Louisville Photographic Society I really enjoyed your comment about the value that being a member of a photography club gives. I find that being in the company of others who share my passion elevates my work and adds to the richness of life.
February 19, 2013 at 8:27 am
I totally agree. Thanks for the comment.
February 19, 2013 at 3:02 pm
That looks like a totally beautiful place to catch a show. I don’t think I’d even be able to focus on the stage with all that eye candy just in the building.
February 19, 2013 at 8:53 am
Thanks Chris. It really is a beautiful place.
February 19, 2013 at 3:02 pm
That ceiling is amazing! (beautiful photograph)
February 19, 2013 at 8:57 am
Thank you!
February 19, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Beautiful shot Edith.
February 19, 2013 at 9:06 am
Thanks Tina.
February 19, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Beautiful, excellent captured…
February 19, 2013 at 10:10 am
Thank you very much!
February 19, 2013 at 3:04 pm
My word that place is gorgeous! Kudos to you for thinking of it and setting up the shoot!
February 19, 2013 at 10:35 am
Thanks so much Heather.
February 19, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Very n ice opportunity to get inside there and have a shoot. Your image is quite nice, Edith. A grand view from the balcony. I like the colors and tones of this as well.
February 19, 2013 at 10:36 am
Thanks Jimi.
February 19, 2013 at 3:05 pm
WOW! So beautiful… Thank you dear Edith Levy, love, nia
February 19, 2013 at 11:13 am
Thank you Nia.
February 19, 2013 at 3:05 pm
What an amazing ceiling. Seems to help meld the seating area of the theatre into the stage, although that maybe more due to the current set that is on stage.
February 19, 2013 at 1:11 pm
Thanks mark. It is quite something. Actually there is no set at the moment (or when we were there), the theatre is dark as they say. What you’re seeing on stage is the fire curtain. Beautiful isn’t it?
February 19, 2013 at 3:07 pm
For the first time I understand the benefit of joining a photography club… I’ll look for a local one here to join also, I bet they get rare opportunities like this one also. Great image BTW
February 19, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Thanks Bashar. You know I really love being part of the club. We’re a group of like minded individuals and I’ve had the opportunity to shoot some places that I otherwise wouldn’t have had access to.
February 19, 2013 at 3:08 pm
That really is an extraordinary interior, Edith. Tremendous capture too.
February 19, 2013 at 2:56 pm
Thanks Andy.
February 19, 2013 at 3:09 pm
Wow! Beautiful Edith!
February 19, 2013 at 4:07 pm
Thanks so much Phil.
February 19, 2013 at 11:33 pm
Awesome, I bet you just fell in love with that 8-15 didnt you!
February 19, 2013 at 4:16 pm
Did I ever. That was an amazing lens.
February 19, 2013 at 11:33 pm
Very nice picture done with a fisheye, isn’t it? nice tonality, nice colour and very well done.
Your remarks about joining a photo-club is well said and I am in a club and I like the opportunity.
Thank you for sharing the photo.
February 19, 2013 at 4:45 pm
Thank you Gaston. yes I did use a fish-eye and I meant to say that. Tomorrow’s post will get into some of the equipment I used and the processing. I do enjoy being in the club. Thank you for taking the time to comment, I truly appreciate it.
February 19, 2013 at 11:35 pm
What a cool shot and cool place. Thanks for a little piece of history there.
February 19, 2013 at 9:39 pm
Thanks Stacy.
February 19, 2013 at 11:35 pm
wonderfully done Edith!
February 19, 2013 at 9:46 pm
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I really enjoy the tones in this shot, Edith, just lovely! Great details, too, I love that old architecture!!
February 21, 2013 at 5:17 pm
Thanks so much Toad.
February 21, 2013 at 6:24 pm
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