Donlands Theatre Explained

Donlands Theatre
Address:397 Donlands Avenue
Toronto
Est Completion:-->
Opened Date:1948
Closing Date:1984
Seating Capacity:838[1]
Architect:Herbert G. Duerr

The Donlands Theatre, is a multipurpose complex and former movie theatre, located on the eponymous Donlands Avenue in the East York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[2]

Theatre

After a protracted construction that lasted more than one and a half year due to a workers' strike,[2] the Donlands Theatre opened on 20 November 1948 with a screening of the historical drama Tap Roots.[3] It operated as part of the regional Bloom and Fine chain, a Famous Players affiliate, until 1969.[4] It was favorite childhood spot of actor John Candy, who grew up in the neighborhood.[5] Some sources also mention that he worked there as an usher.[6] Writer Pierre Berton and his wife, who lived next door with their first daughter, were also regular patrons.[7] It then operated directly under the Famous Players umbrella, before being sold in 1975 amidst a reorganization of the company's assets.[8] Shortly prior to the sale, it was described as a repertory cinema, offering multiple bills in quick rotation.[9]

Following a short tenure under the management of one William Collins,[10] the building then reemerged as a specialty theatre and occasional live venue catering to the area's growing Indian, and particularly Hindi-speaking immigrant community.[11] [12] It was owned by local event promoter Darshan Sahota, who also managed the Landsdowne and Paradise Theatres.[13] [14] Ashok "Charlie" Mehra, the owner of several hospitality businesses[15] [16] and the principal of Scarborough-based company Friends Film (Canada),[17] was also associated with the venue.[18] Several prominent South Asian entertainers have made personal appearances there, including classic actor Dilip Kumar.[18]

While the theatre employed IATSE projectionists under Famous Players,[19] it apparently ran afoul of the organization during Sahota's ownership tenure, as the Toronto Motion Pictures Projectionists Union, an IATSE member, filed grievances against him with the Ontario Labour Relations Board.[14] In early 1984, the theatre saw its license suspended due to safety violations, including overcrowding.[20]

Design

The Donlands Theatre was designed in 1946 by Toronto-based theatre specialist Herbert G. Duerr.[4] [21] Kaplan & Sprachman, another study specializing in theatres, contributed to later renovations.[2] [22] The Donlands is an exemple of modern theatrical architecture,[2] although it also incorporated art deco touches.[23] It offered lodges but did not possess a balcony.[2] The theatre's entrance has earned notice for its Asian-influenced decor, which features a domed ceiling painted with a dragon and the Chinese symbol for prosperity embedded in the floor.[23] [24] While those decorative elements predated the transformation of the place into a kung fu movie studio

, the Donlands was never a Chinese cinema.[6]

Multipurpose complex

Sound studios

After a period of closure while awaiting a sale in 1985,[25] the theatre was repurposed as a suite of business spaces, primarily intended for use as recording studios and post-production facilities. That incarnation of the building was promoted under the commercial names Mediaplex[26] and Media Centre.[27] [28]

Among early adopters was Studio 92, a new studio founded by engineer Norman Barker which was housed on the third floor.[6] It settled there in 1986 or 1987 depending on sources,[29] [30] and would be the building's emblematic tenant until 2011.[31] Barker went on to receive two Juno Awards for his work at the studio.[32] It was used by former Chilliwack member Glenn Miller for several of his productions.[6] The building also welcomed a group of companies associated with Toronto's christian rock scene, which were previously housed within the walls of the Yonge Street Mission,[33] [34] [35] such as former Deliverance member Doug Virgin's Yonge Street Records.[36] As of 2024, part of the building still operates as a recording studio.[37]

Although it was primed for a renovation, the main theatre lay mostly unoccupied through the rest of the 1980s.[38] It was there however, rather than in the theatre's dedicated studios, that the band Blue Rodeo recorded their classic album Diamond Mine in December 1988 with the help of a mobile sound unit.[39] [40]

Film studios

The disused theatre was used as an underground kung fu club during the 1990 shoot of the film Tiger Claws. Not long after, its producer and star, Jalal Merhi, moved in full time and fitted out the headquarters of his company Film One inside the building.[6] Over the following years, it came to boast a soundstage, production offices, two film editing suites, a video offline suite and a 25-seat 35mm screening room.[41] The music studios already housed inside the theatre remained active as independent entities.[6] The facility has seen several occupants following Film One's departure, and is still active as a film studio.[23] [42]

Martial arts

An actual kung fu school has also been operated inside the Donlands Theatre, with an opening date listed as 2007.[43] [44]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Toronto Theatres. Sedore. Clair. World Theatres. en-US. 2019-10-17.
  2. Book: Taylor, Doug. Toronto Theatres and the Golden Age of the Silver Screen. 22 July 2014. Arcadia Publishing. 9781625849823. 54, 116, 131–132. en.
  3. News: Karr . Jack . 20 November 1948 . Movie-Go-Round . Toronto Daily Star . 15 . Another movie house opening slated for tonight—the handsome new Donlands. Its first attraction is "Tap Roots" [...] .
  4. Web site: East York Reflections: Memories of shopping at Ron's Smoke Shop, watching movies at Donlands Theatre and other Donlands commercial area businesses of the 1960s and '70s. Michailidis. John. 15 October 2015. Toronto.com. en-CA. 17 October 2019.
  5. News: Gamester . George . 21 November 1985 . The day John Candy was truly fit to be tied . The Toronto Star . A2 .
  6. News: Arnott . Duane . 'Tiger Claws' producer settles in East York . North Toronto Herald . August 15, 1991 .
  7. Book: Berton . Pierre . My Times: Living with History 1947–1995 . 6. Going Home . Toronto . Pierre Berton Enterprises; Doubleday Canada . 33 . 1995 . 0385255284.
  8. News: Adilman . Sid . 19 March 1975 . Glendale theatre will close within two weeks . The Toronto Star . E19 .
  9. News: . 10 January 1975 . Raised movie prices may be a blessing in disguise . The Varsity . Toronto . 5.
  10. Book: . Metropolitan Toronto Directory . Toronto . R.L. Polk & Co. . 262 . 1975.
  11. News: Serge . Joe . 5 August 1979 . These cops smooth ethnic relations . Toronto . Sunday Star . A18 .
  12. Book: . Theatres Branch Annual Report 1982–1983 . Films classified for 1982 . Toronto . Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations – Ontario . 1983 . 22–51.
  13. Book: . Metropolitan Toronto Directory . Toronto . R.L. Polk & Co. . 340 . 1977.
  14. . September 1980 . Decisions . Complaints under Section 79 (Unfair Labour Practices) . Ontario Labour Relations Board . 264.
  15. News: . 13 April 1978 . 'Good time' no crime . Toronto Star . A18 .
  16. News: . 16 August 1981 . 9 booked in morals case after police raid on hotel . Sunday Star . Toronto . A3 .
  17. Sangal, Ambrish (director) . Gerhi Chot a.k a. Durdesh, Door-Desh . Hindi, English . feature film . 1983 . Scarborough . Friends Film International . Ashok Mehra presents Friends Film (Canada) International Inc.'s Gehri Chot URF: Door-Desh.
  18. News: . 7 June 1983 . Cancelled by the police show goes ahead today . Toronto Star. A6 .
  19. . 27 September 1971 . Pioneers' Golf Event Attracts Big Turnout . Boxoffice . Kansas City . Associated Publications . 99 . 24 . K-4.
  20. News: . March 2, 1984 . Theatre ordered to close due to safety violations . The Star . Toronto . A16 .
  21. Web site: Toronto's old movie theatre—the Donlands Historic Toronto. 2016-04-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20160428092613/https://tayloronhistory.com/2014/01/01/torontos-old-movie-theatresthe-donlands/. 2019-10-17. 2016-04-28.
  22. Web site: Kaplan, Harold Solomon Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org. 17 October 2019.
  23. Web site: The old Donlands Theatre: a piece of Toronto history . piestudios.ca . 8 January 2024.
  24. Book: . Explore East York East End: Art, History and Nature Self-Guided Tours . Cultural Loops Guide . East York Into the Future . Arts & Culture Services – City of Toronto . 24 . 2017.
  25. News: . 5 March 1985 . Another quiet day in Midvale . The Toronto Star . A13 .
  26. Book: Thompson, Patricia (Canada) . 1991 International Motion Picture Almanac . The Industry in Canada . Quigley Publishing . New York . 681 . 1991 . 9780900610448.
  27. n/a . Diamond Mine . Blue Rodeo . LP sleeve notes . Risqué Disque/WEA . 256 268-1/WX 271.
  28. Book: . Toronto/Central East York Polk Criss-Cross Directory . Donlands Ave . Toronto . R.L. Polk & Co. . 124 . 2000.
  29. Web site: Studio 92 Canada . . discogs.com . 2 April 2023.
  30. Web site: Welcome . . studio92canada.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20100416064049/http://www.studio92canada.com/ . 16 April 2010.
  31. Web site: In Pursuit of Audio Excellence....Rebirth of Studio 92 . . studio92canada.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20111119004944/http://studio92canada.com/about/index.php . 19 November 2011.
  32. Web site: Portfolio . . studio92canada.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20100406152206/http://www.studio92canada.com/portfolio.php/ . 6 April 2010.
  33. Book: . 1985/86 Metropolitan Toronto City Directory . Yonge Street–Gould Starts . Toronto . Might Directories . 922 . 1985.
  34. Book: Bidd, Donald . Film/Video Canadiana 1987–1988 . Directory of producers and distributors . Montreal . National Film Board of Canada; National Archives of Canada; National Library of Canada; La Cinémathèque québécoise . 682 . 1990 . 08361002.
  35. Book: Allen, Richard . Charron, Andrew . Music Directory Canada . Toronto . CM Brooks . 458, 491 . 1990 . 9780969127253.
  36. . 20 April 1985 . Yonge St. makes its debut . RPM Weekly . Toronto . 42 . 6 . 13.
  37. Web site: About . . marqueesound.ca . 5 January 2024.
  38. Web site: Rodeo Rockers . Silverman . David . 15 June 1989 . Chicago Tribune . 5 January 2024.
  39. Web site: Blue Rodeo: Better Off As We Are . Schneider . Jason . 21 November 2009 . exclaim.ca . 5 January 2024.
  40. Doctorate of Philosophy . Aikenhead . Paul D. . September 2018 . Real Rock: Authenticity and Popular Music in Canada 1984–1994. Toronto . York University . 166 .
  41. Web site: Apple and Spice shooting New Blood . Hoffman . Andy . December 14, 1998 . Playback . May 29, 2023.
  42. Web site: ShuttleSpace.com – Studio Rental . . shuttlespace.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20060324013546/shuttlespace.com/ . 24 March 2006.
  43. Web site: Forbidden Dragon Kung Fu . . allbiz.ca.
  44. Web site: Kung Fu & Kickboxing Classes in East York, Toronto . . kungfuschool.ca . 10 January 2024.

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