Young People's Theatre facts for kids
 |
|
 |
|
| Address | 165 Front Street East |
|---|---|
| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°39′00″N 79°22′08″W / 43.65000°N 79.36889°W |
| Type | Theatre |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1888 (stables) |
| Renovated | 1977 (theatre) |
Young People's Theatre (YPT) is a Canadian producer of theatre for youth and Toronto's oldest not-for-profit theatre company. Founded in 1966 by Susan Douglas Rubeš, YPT originally operated out of the now-demolished Colonnade Theatre on Bloor Street. Since its 1977-78 season, the company has resided in a renovated heritage building in downtown Toronto.
YPT operates two performance spaces in the building at 165 Front Street East; the Susan Douglas Rubes Theatre and the Nathan Cohen Studio. It stages an average of eight productions each year. The current Artistic Director is Allen MacInnis and the current Executive Director Nancy J. Webster.
The building
Young People Theatre's current home is a renovated 1887 heritage building in Toronto, Ontario. This site was a three-story stable for the horses that pulled Toronto Street Railways horsecars in the late 19th century, as well as an electrical generating plant and a Toronto Transit Commission warehouse. The warehouse sat empty for much of the 20th century and was ready for demolition before it was chosen by YPT as its home. The building was renovated in 1977 by Zeidler Partnership Architects to contain a large main stage (the current day Susan Douglas Rubes Theatre) and a smaller studio (the Nathan Cohen Studio). YPT was given an Award of Merit by the Toronto Historical Board in 1979, "for its imaginative and sympathetic treatment of a landmark that might otherwise have been destroyed".
Artistic Directors
- Susan Douglas Rubes (1966-1979)
- Richard Ouzounian (1979-1980)
- Peter Moss (1980-1991)
- Maja Ardal (1991-1998)
- Pierre Tetrault (1998-2002)
- Allen MacInnis (2002-present)
Awards
- 44 Dora Mavor Moore Awards
- 13 Chalmers Children Awards for playwrighting.
- Ontario's Lieutenant Governor's Award for the Arts,1998.
- Award of Merit, Heritage Toronto, 1979.
