Centaur Theater
The Centaur Theater is a theater in Montreal , which in English is specialized productions. It is located at 453 Rue Saint-François-Xavier, the former building of the Montreal Stock Exchange in the old town ( Vieux-Montréal ).
theatre
The Centaur Theater Company , founded in 1969, rented the former stock exchange building for its performances and acquired it in 1974. After a renovation, two theaters were available from 1975, the existing Centaur 1 , a " black theater " with 220 seats, and the new Centaur 2 , a proscenium with 440 seats. An extensive renovation took place from 1996 to 1999. Under the artistic direction of the South African Maurice Podbrey, who worked until 1997, the Centaur Theater developed into the leading English-language theater in Montreal. It achieved this status in particular by staging contemporary Canadian and international productions, including numerous world premieres. Classical plays are usually only on the program once a year.
building
In 1903, American architect George B. Post was commissioned to design a building for the growing Montreal Stock Exchange . After a year of construction, the first trading day was on June 29, 1904. The Montreal Stock Exchange was domiciled in the building until October 1965 and then moved to the Tour de la Bourse .
The U-shaped building in neoclassical style consists of a central wing flanked by two lower side wings. It is dominated by a portico with six Corinthian columns. The resemblance to a Greco-Roman temple gives it a certain monumentality.
Web links
- Centaur Theater (English)
- Centaur Theater Company ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .
- Historical and architectural information about the building (French)
Coordinates: 45 ° 30 ′ 12.8 " N , 73 ° 33 ′ 23.2" W.