Built around 1915 as the Kitchener Theatre, it originally hosted vaudeville performances for soldiers stationed at Niagara Camp. After the war, it continued presenting vaudeville acts and touring performances until the rise of the “talkies” and economic challenges led to its decline. In the late 1930s, it became a cinema and was renamed the Brock Theatre. It was especially popular on Halloween, when children enjoyed free movies and costume contests. In the 1970s, as the home of the Canadian Mime Theatre, the building received the front façade that is familiar to us today. Since 1980, the theatre has hosted numerous Shaw Festival productions. This week, the Shaw Festival invites the public to bid a final farewell to the Royal George Theatre before redevelopment of the site begins.