Theatre last phase of St. Mike's development

TORONTO - A new $10-million performing arts centre is scheduled to open at St. Michael’s College School next year.

School president Fr. Joseph Redican, C.S.B., said the 440-seat theatre would be a state-of-the-art facility and will support the school’s drama and theatre arts program. It will also serve as a venue for concerts, public speaking and debates. And the centre will have a display space for the school’s visual arts program and will be the site of lectures and conferences.

So far, Redican said the school has reached the halfway mark of its fund-raising goal.

Redican said the school has a rich history in music and theatre, adding that his mother remembers St. Michael’s College School musicals from the 1930s. The school puts on a musical every year. This year’s production will be Damn Yankees.

Communication director Michael De Pellegrin said theatrical productions took place in the school gym when he used to be a student. But later on, the stage was removed from the gym, leading the school to rent outside space for its productions.

The new Performing Arts Centre is the final phase of the school’s revitalization project. St. Michael’s moved to its location at Bathurst Street and St. Clair Avenue West in 1950. From 1998 to 2000, the school underwent a major renovation.

St. Michael’s College School was founded in 1852 by the Congregation of St. Basil and is Ontario’s only independent Catholic school for young men. About 1,100 students from Grades 7 to 12 attend the school.

Please see The St. Michael's College School Capital Campaign