The Shaw Festival has secured $750,000 for its new Royal George Theatre as it prepares to take two Niagara-on-the-Lake productions to Toronto this fall.
The RBC Foundation Community Spaces Grant will be provided over three years to fund a geothermal well system for the rebuilt theatre’s heating and cooling infrastructure.
Expected to open in fall 2028, the new Royal George is designed to become North America’s first theatre to earn Zero Carbon Building Design certification.
The geothermal system will provide all-electric heating and cooling without on-site fossil fuels. The theatre is also pursuing Rick Hansen Foundation Gold certification for accessibility.
Meanwhile, the Shaw will begin a three-year artistic residency at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre with “Sleuth” and “A Christmas Carol.”
“Sleuth,” a crime thriller starring Patrick Galligan and Sepehr Reybod, will run at the Fleck Theatre from Oct. 16 to Nov. 1 after ending its season at the Shaw’s Court House Theatre on Oct. 9.
The Shaw’s annual production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” starring Sanjay Talwar as Ebenezer Scrooge, will follow from Nov. 12 to Dec. 23.
The partnership is intended to introduce the Niagara-on-the-Lake theatre company’s work to new audiences while expanding Harbourfront Centre’s year-round cultural programming.
Subscription packages are now on sale. Performance schedules and ticket information are available at HarbourfrontCentre.com/Shaw.
