In addition to an Inside Out screening this weekend, I managed to squeeze in a visit to the Elgin & Winter Garden Theatre Centre as part of Doors Open Toronto.
The hour-long visit to Canada's only double-decker live theatre venue, now almost 100 years old, proved educational and entertaining.
We started on the lower level, where a volunteer educated us on the history of the Elgin, from its beginnings, to its troubled fate as television overshadowed live theatre, and how a mid-80s production of Cats helped revive the venue.
Our speaker was very well-educated, and spoke to every detail of the venue -- from the carpet and seats to the lighting and moulding, and even the venue's washrooms.
Then it was upstairs to the Winter Garden Theatre, which a show of hands proved not many people in attendance had previously visited.
With a ceiling adorned with a combination of real and fake leaves, and painted murals on the walls, the theatre is designed to look and feel like a garden patio of sorts.
Our knowledgeable volunteer speaker taught us of the theatre's restoration and current uses, how all those leaves have been preserved and cleaned, and how the theatre is home to one of the largest collections of vaudeville set backgrounds.
Ample time was allowed before and after the speakers to explore the theatre and take photographs, which I enjoyed muchly.
Next year I'll mayhaps add Doors Open Toronto to my Summer Fun List and put a more extensive plan together to explore the city.