Tapestry Opera and Nightwood Theatre recently provided an update on the construction project at 877 Yonge Street. An online Town Hall was the medium for the message about building a space to nurture the performing arts in the property just north of Davenport.
More than 20 arts professionals and interested parties listened to the update online.
Tapestry Opera, as participants pointed out, is the 10th largest opera company in Canada according to budget, but comes in first or second when it comes to commissioning and performing new operas.
Nightwood Theatre has likewise taken an innovative approach to artistic creation and programming since its founding in 1979 by Andrea Donaldson as a showcase for theatre by women and gender-expansive artists. Donaldson called the 877 Yonge project, “a renewal”.
The arts organizations are acting in partnership with St. Clare’s, a private, multi-faith non-profit organization devoted to developing supportive and affordable housing projects. Tenants at their four downtown Toronto buildings may pay geared-to-income or market rent, as their incomes allow.
877 Yonge Street
The goal is to build a performing arts centre that is accessible to any emerging artists or arts organizations. It’s the place to stage that first and second show, and a centre that will serve as an incubator for developing shows from scratch, including rehearsal space and facilities.
Running performing arts spaces is always a fragile enterprise, and the pandemic, combined with a heated real estate market, triggered a string of closures. The closure of a whole block of arts space in the Distillery District alone displaced more than 70 largely arts-related tenants. Creating their own space became important to both arts organizations as an integral part of their mandate.
The timing of the Distillery District lease non-renewals during the pandemic at least gave the performing arts companies time to search out both appropriate spaces and operating partners. St. Clare’s owns several hundred units in the city, including about 244 apartments at 877 Yonge.
Affordable housing and performing arts may not seem like natural partners, however, both share similar values in terms of both preserving the character of the city, and maintaining accessibility, including affordability. Both types of tenants are also subject to the ups and downs of Toronto’s volatile real estate market.
Along with serving artists and performers, the facility will include space to connect as a gathering place that fosters community. The space will be suitable to develop and present smaller scale shows, concerts, and full theatrical performances.
The Details:
- 2600 square foot performance space that can accommodate 250 people maximum, or 125 or so with standard seating;
- Rehearsal studio of 775 square feet;
- Shared office and administrative spaces;
- A well equipped green room for artists;
- A Bosendorfer grand piano for rehearsals;
- Specific areas for box office and concessions;
- A proper theatre lobby for public events;
- Freshly designed and painted bathrooms adjacent to the hall.
The design process itself took a year and several months to allow for thoughtful planning. Remington North, a noted technical director and production manager with a specialty in theatre, advised on how to develop the building and make the most of the space. The building was used as a retirement home, then for affordable housing, so many accessibility features were already in place.
Technical capacity is crucial, in order to allow artists to develop their ideas from scratch to the stage. That includes LED lighting with colour mixing capacity, and up-to-date audio tech for live and recorded performances.
The design makes allowances for “future proofing” — i.e. to anticipate expanded needs for future and unusual projects that may be part multimedia, part live. The goal is to allow for turnkey operating facility, so that a minimum of technical help is needed on an ongoing basis.
Versatility is also key. The rehearsal space can also double as a dressing room, or small performance space for solo shows. A tech booth keeps functional spaces separate.
“What we hear a lot in classical music […] is the feeling of not being welcome in a traditional opera space,” noted Tapestry’s Jaime Martino. The emphasis is on a warm and inviting design aesthetic.
Rebuilding
The project is at the demolition stage, with interior walls and structures down. The next stage is building it back up from the inside. Fundraising is ongoing, with the Take A Seat campaign (where donors of $877 can have their name on a chair) about 50% sold.
Meeting funding goals is important, as Tapestry General Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori pointed out. Whatever isn’t covered ahead of opening will have to be factored in later on.
“Affordability is at the heart of what is going to make it vibrant for the arts,” says Mori.
While construction projects are notoriously difficult to pinpoint, organizers are cautiously optimistic about an opening sometime in the first half of 2025.
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