Empress Theatre (Montreal)
Encyclopedia
The Empress Theatre, also known as the Cinema V (Cinema Five), is a vacant building located on Sherbrooke Street
in the neighbourhood of N.D.G.
in Montreal
. Damaged and gutted by a fire, the Egyptian-style
theatre has been abandoned and deteriorating since 1992.
, it was the only theatre in Canada designed in the Egyptian style
, and was inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. The building first served as a Vaudeville
theatre for burlesque
and first-run films. In 1962, it was home to a dinner theatre called the Royal Follies. In 1968, it became the Hermes/Cinema V, an art-movie house, then a repertory cinema from the 1970s to 1992. It has been closed and in a state of disrepair since a fire damaged the theatre in 1992.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
. It was taken over by the Famous Players chain in 1988. A fire in 1992 caused the theatre to close.
, McGill Music Conservatory and the City of Montreal were at one point collaborating to restore the building. It was estimated that the project will cost $11.8 million dollars.
The completed theatre was to be used for performance
and visual arts
. The final plans include a café/art gallery and a 246-person concert hall.
The restored theatre was to be home to two resident professional theatre companies: Geordie Productions and Black Theatre Workshop
. The McGill Conservatory had plans to use the theatre for its music education program. In August 2010, it was announced provincial government funding has been pulled, and ownership of the building returned to the city of Montreal.http://www.montrealgazette.com/City+Montreal+taking+back+Empress/3407250/story.html This has put the restoration
project in limbo and caused concern over the preservation of the building. In 2010, concerned residents of NDG formed an ad hoc citizen's group called Renaissance Empress focused on preserving the theatre and transforming it into a cultural centre. Key members of this group later became a new board of directors for the Empress Cultural Centre and were responsible for the site. On August 15, 2011 the city of Montreal seized ownership and control of the building, citing the citizens’ group failed to make any progress in 12 years. It also canceled the centre’s 50 year lease. The city denied rumor that it plans to sell the site for a condominium project, however at the same time also has no plans for the building.
Sherbrooke Street
Sherbrooke Street is a major east-west artery and at in length, is the second longest street on the Island of Montreal. The street begins in the town of Montreal West and ends on the extreme tip of the island in Pointe-aux-Trembles, intersecting Gouin Boulevard and joining up with Notre-Dame...
in the neighbourhood of N.D.G.
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Notre-Dame-de-Grâce , also nicknamed NDG, is a residential neighbourhood of Montreal located in the city's west-end. It is one of five districts of the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Damaged and gutted by a fire, the Egyptian-style
Egyptian Revival architecture
Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of the Nile during 1798....
theatre has been abandoned and deteriorating since 1992.
History
Constructed in 1927 and designed by Joseph-Alcide Chaussé, with interiors by Emmanuel BriffaEmmanuel Briffa
Emmanuel Briffa was a Canadian theatre decorator whose career in North America spanned thirty years, starting in 1912.Devoted almost entirely to theatre decoration since immigrating to North America from Malta in 1912, Briffa spent several years working in the United States prior to moving to...
, it was the only theatre in Canada designed in the Egyptian style
Egyptian Theatre
Egyptian-style theaters are based on the traditional and historic design elements of Ancient Egypt.The first Egyptian Theatre to be constructed in the US - which inspired many of the identically-named theaters that followed it - was Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, California. For several...
, and was inspired by the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922. The building first served as a Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
theatre for burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
and first-run films. In 1962, it was home to a dinner theatre called the Royal Follies. In 1968, it became the Hermes/Cinema V, an art-movie house, then a repertory cinema from the 1970s to 1992. It has been closed and in a state of disrepair since a fire damaged the theatre in 1992.
Cinema V
In 1968, the theatre was divided to become the two-tiered Cinema V. In 1974, it briefly changed its name to The Home of Blue Movies. It became a repertory cinema in 1975, gaining notability as the Montreal home of the cult classicCult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
. It was taken over by the Famous Players chain in 1988. A fire in 1992 caused the theatre to close.
Restoration
Geordie Productions http://geordie.ca, Black Theatre WorkshopBlack Theatre Workshop
-Organizational history:The Black Theater Workshop was incorporated in 1972 but has roots going back to the Trinidad and Tobago Drama Committee. Its first play "How Now Black Man" was produced under the name Black Workshop in 1970 at the Centaur Theatre....
, McGill Music Conservatory and the City of Montreal were at one point collaborating to restore the building. It was estimated that the project will cost $11.8 million dollars.
The completed theatre was to be used for performance
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
and visual arts
Visual arts
The visual arts are art forms that create works which are primarily visual in nature, such as ceramics, drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, design, crafts, and often modern visual arts and architecture...
. The final plans include a café/art gallery and a 246-person concert hall.
The restored theatre was to be home to two resident professional theatre companies: Geordie Productions and Black Theatre Workshop
Black Theatre Workshop
-Organizational history:The Black Theater Workshop was incorporated in 1972 but has roots going back to the Trinidad and Tobago Drama Committee. Its first play "How Now Black Man" was produced under the name Black Workshop in 1970 at the Centaur Theatre....
. The McGill Conservatory had plans to use the theatre for its music education program. In August 2010, it was announced provincial government funding has been pulled, and ownership of the building returned to the city of Montreal.http://www.montrealgazette.com/City+Montreal+taking+back+Empress/3407250/story.html This has put the restoration
Building restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
project in limbo and caused concern over the preservation of the building. In 2010, concerned residents of NDG formed an ad hoc citizen's group called Renaissance Empress focused on preserving the theatre and transforming it into a cultural centre. Key members of this group later became a new board of directors for the Empress Cultural Centre and were responsible for the site. On August 15, 2011 the city of Montreal seized ownership and control of the building, citing the citizens’ group failed to make any progress in 12 years. It also canceled the centre’s 50 year lease. The city denied rumor that it plans to sell the site for a condominium project, however at the same time also has no plans for the building.