Roxy Theatre (Edmonton)
Roxy Theatre, also known as The Roxy, is a live-action performance theatre located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was originally designated as a movie theatre, but was eventually converted into a live-action performance venue.
The original theatre opened on October 13, 1938[1] and was destroyed by a fire on January 13, 2015.[2] A new theatre was constructed and opened in its original location on April 14, 2022.[3]
Early history
The original theatre was designed by William G. Blakey[4] and built by I.F.Shacker of Hanna. It was managed by Bill Wilson, the son of a Famous Players theatre manager. It was considered luxurious for its time as it had air conditioning, spring seating, and extra legroom.[1]
In 1941, the theatre was leased to Odeon Theatres of Canada.[4] After Odeon's lease ran out, the cinema was operated as a part of Inner City Cinemas along with the Avenue Theatre and Varscona Theatre. Inner City Cinemas ran a calendar program that ran movies for three days first at one, then the next, then the next cinema. Famous Players leased all 3 theatres from Inner City, which ended their unique venture. When Famous gave up the lease, the Roxy became The $2 Roxy, operating as a discount theatre with all shows $2, operated by Magic Lantern Theatres, which also had their offices in the retail space in the front of the building.
In 1989, the building was taken over by the Theatre Network and converted to a live-theatre venue.[5]
Fire and rebuilding
A fire at the theatre was called in to the Edmonton Fire Department just before 4am on January 13, 2015.[6] Firefighters were unable to control the blaze and the building was destroyed.[2] As of June 2015, the cause of the fire remains unknown. The Theatre Network had planned to open a new show the night of the fire and had to find alternate venues for its shows.[2]
More than seven years after the fire, a new CA$12 million theatre reopened in its original location on April 14, 2022. The new building includes the 90-seat Lorne Cardinal Theatre and the 200-seat Nancy Power Theatre, as well as an art gallery and rehearsal space.[7] The inaugural show was a run of Cliff Cardinal's The Land Acknowledgement, or As You Like It.[8] As of 2025, a portion of the south wall remained incomplete because the company was denied an easement for access from the neighboring property. The neighboring building's owner filed a lawsuit alleging that the building's foundation was damaged during the construction of the Roxy.[9][10]
References
- ^ a b Yanish, Lori; Lowe, Shirley Ann (1970). Edmonton's west side story : the history of the original West End of Edmonton from 1870. pp. 122–125.
- ^ a b c "Roxy Theatre gutted by 'tough old fire'". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 13 January 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ "'Full circle': After 7 years, the Roxy Theatre reopens its doors in Edmonton". GlobalNews.ca. 15 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ a b Handzic, Kenan (November 2007). "Historic Theatres in Edmonton" (PDF). Building Heritage News. 11 (1): 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-21.
- ^ Pruden, Jana G. (15 January 2015). "'The Roxy, Your Own Theatre': The birth of Alberta's most modern and beautiful playhouse". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ Theobold, Claire (13 January 2015). "Edmonton's Roxy Theatre destroyed by fire". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ Faulder, Liane (2022-04-15). "Seven years after fire, Roxy Theatre throws open its doors once again". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Faulder, Liane (2022-04-22). "Shrouded in mystery, The Roxy's first play will hold to its title As You Like It, A Radical Retelling". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Wakefield, Jonny (2025-03-04). "Court denies Roxy Theatre access to neighbour's property to finish wall; theatre group claims unfinished construction poses 'significant hazards'". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2026-02-10.
- ^ Wakefield, Jonny (2025-03-10). "Roxy Theatre, neighbour in lawsuit fight over claims post-fire rebuild damaged next door building". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2026-02-10.