Savoy Theatre, Glace Bay

46°11′47″N 59°57′26″W / 46.196333°N 59.957333°W / 46.196333; -59.957333Public transitTransit Cape Breton
Routes 1, 2, 3OwnerThe Savoy Theatre SocietyOperatorThe Savoy Theatre SocietyTypeTheatreGenre(s)live theatre, music, concerts, dance, filmSeating typesoft seat, reserved seatingCapacity761 (585 orchestra, 206 balcony, 1994–present)

• 875 (1976–1991)
• 1200 (826 orchestra, 464 balcony, 1927–1974)

Screens1ConstructionBuilt1927
1901 (former structure)Opened1927
1901 (former structure)Renovated1974–1976Expanded1997–1998General contractor(Frank) MacSween ContractorsWebsitewww.savoytheatre.com

The Savoy Theatre is a historic Victorian-Style theatre, established in 1901, with the present theatre building dating from 1927, operating as an arts and culture centre in Glace Bay, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Savoy Theatre presents a wide variety of local, national and international entertainment. Its main auditorium has a capacity of 761 including the balcony. The Savoy's foyer also hosts events (dinner theatres, weddings, reunions) for up to 100 people.^[1]

History

The first Savoy Theatre

The original Savoy Theatre was built on Union Street in Glace Bay in 1901 by businessman John Connors as a vaudeville house. It was at first an 'upstairs' theatre, on the second floor of an office building, and remained so until 1920 when it was remodeled and brought down to ground level. It had an orchestra pit, balcony, and ornate domed ceiling.^[2] Vaudeville was staged at the Savoy, along with magic shows, musicals, concerts, both sacred and secular, political meetings, and rallies.^[3] The large stage could easily accommodate a 24-foot boxing ring with ringside bleachers^[4][5] leading to the Savoy hosting the 1921 Maritime Boxing Championships. One hundred and four boxers performed in a two-night show that lasted into the early hours of the morning.

1927 fire and the new Savoy Theatre

On 27 March of 1927,^[2] the old Savoy was destroyed by fire which levelled an entire block of buildings as firemen were unable to contain the blaze to the theatre.^{[3][6] [7]}

John Connors quickly rebuilt its replacement. The new Savoy Theatre, constructed to the specifications of the famed Victorian show houses with seating for 1,200 patrons,^[8] opened its doors on 11 November 1927, less that eight months after the fire that destroyed its predecessor.^[9][10][2] Built by MacSween Contractors, the new theatre was complete with elaborate decoration including rococo chandeliers. The stage was equipped with a "hemp" fly system, (a.k.a. rope line common to the period), contained in the fly loft above the stage, as well as a fire curtain.^[11]

For the next few decades the Savoy operated both as a movie theatre and as a vaudeville house, and hosted many of the world's finest entertainers, including W.C. Fields, and a young Sammy Davis Jr. (in 1937 at the age of 12).^[12] The Savoy was also the preferred location for boxing matches,^[13] and other large-scale spectacles.^[1]

Through this period the Savoy continued to be managed by it owner, John Connors, and later by his son, Edgar Connors.

Famous Players ownership

In the mid-1950s, owners John Connors, and later his wife, contracted with Famous Players Canadian Corporation to operate the Savoy as a Famous Players Movie Theatre. In December of 1956 Kenneth Williamson become manager of the Savoy, replacing Edgar Connors.^[14] Around this time, Famous Players assumed ownership and complete control of the venue and then operated it exclusively as a movie theatre.

1974 purchase by the Town of Glace Bay and restoration

In 1974 the Town of Glace Bay purchased the theatre from Famous Players for $45,000^[15][16] with the intention of restoring it for use by the community. Both Federal and Provincial funding was secured, allowing the Town to begin a renovation program to restore the Savoy under the guidance of Mandel Sprachman, the Toronto architect who restored the city’s legendary Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres to their original splendour.^[17][18][19] The renovations followed along the lines of the original building and no major changes were made to the superstructure. The ornate rococo chandeliers were retained and refurbished, and new sound and projection equipment was installed. The stage equipment, including hemp line sets, Dressing-rooms and other facilities were updated.^[20] The restoration cost close to $600,000 to complete.^[15]

The restored Savoy, now seating 875,^[8] was officially opened by Mayor Dan A Munroe and the Glace Bay Town Council on 17 May 1976,^[2] with Lieutenant-Governor Clarence Gosse, Premier Gerald Regan, and leader of the Opposition John Buchanan of Nova Scotia in attendance.

A large contingent of patrons travelled from Sydney via the Devco steam railway with No. 42 arriving at the Glace Bay Station shortly after 7 p.m. This group was escorted from the station to Union Street by the MacDougall Girl's Pipe Band. Ann Terry provided live radio coverage of the event while the Donkin Band provided music in front of the theatre prior to show time. One special guest was CBC Newscaster Lloyd Robertson.^[21] The Glace Bay and Sydney Rotary clubs combined to mount a ten-day performance the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, directed by Don Gillies,^[22] which at the time broke all box office records in the province.^[1]

1991 fire and 1993 reopening

The Savoy Theatre sustained damage as a result of a fire on Sunday, 2 June, 1991.^[23] The fire appeared to have originated in the wiring in or around a Floor Pocket (a receptacle set into the stage floor). The fire ran under the stage floor to the rear wall of the stage house where it shot up the 60 feet toward the roof. The fire was reported by a passing taxi driver around 5:00 am that morning^[7] and firemen were able to extinguish the fire before the building was lost. Most of the fire damage was contained to the dressing rooms located below the stage, the back wall, and a portable trailer located at the rear of the stage house. The damage was extensive and costly. There was smoke and water damage to other areas of the theatre but the structure remained sound.^[11]

Mandel Sprachman, the architect who oversaw the 1974 renovations, was flown in from the United States for an initial assessment of the damage.^[17]

In addition to the repairs required from the fire, the Savoy Theatre had additional upgrades completed at this time, including the addition of a backstage scene shop, production offices, and green room at the rear of the stage house, upgrades to the dressing rooms, a restored and reopened orchestra pit, and replacement of both the sound and lighting systems. The balcony floor was further raised in tiers to improve sight lines. Pembroke Construction was hired to carry out the restoration work^[24] which cost $1.3 million dollars.^[2]

On completion of the work a Grand Re-Opening was held as a 3-day celebration, and ran from 7 to 9 May 1993.

1997–1998 expansion

A further 2.3 million capital expansion project in 1997 saw the addition of a 50' x 60' two story glassed annex with a portable stage for small events, seating up to 150. The new addition moved the theater entrance to the corner of Union and Commercial Streets and included a new box office, a commercial kitchen, a gift shop, bar facilities, expanded washrooms including an accessible washroom, an elevator, along with a gallery space on the second floor, and expanded administration office space.^[25] A sprinkler system was installed and the main auditorium's ceiling was reconstructed and repainted with smaller details including the fleur-de-lys and daisies from the original 1927 ceiling highlighted in silver.^[26] The Savoy stayed open through the 18 months of renovations and on completion a ribbon cutting and concert were held on 13 June 1998 to celebrate the new space.^[27]

2018-2019 upgrades

The most recent upgrades occurred between 2018 and 2019. With the help of $2.93 million in funding from the federal and provincial governments the Savoy modernized many key aspects of the theatre.^[28] These renovations included much improved insulation and modernized heating and air conditioning throughout the building, renovations to the lobby area, repairs to the foundation, new performer/production washrooms equipped with showers, remodeling of the dressing rooms and the Green Room, renovated public washrooms on both the main level and balcony level, upgrades to outdoor lighting and canopy, a new metal roof, and upgrades to all sound and lighting systems.^[29]

The Savoy remained open and shows continued while the upgrades were completed.^[28]

The Savoy Theatre today

Since then, the Savoy has provided a wide variety of culture entertainment. Over 40,000 people attend performances at the Savoy Theatre each year.^[30]

“The Savoy has been providing entertainment for Cape Breton for 90 years which is a big milestone,” says Pam Leader, executive director of Glace Bay’s Savoy Theatre. “There aren’t many other theatres this old - the Imperial in St. John may be 100 - the Savoy is definitely one of the oldest live theatre venues in Canada and we’re still going strong.”^[30]

The Savoy stage has been graced by a virtual Who's Who of Cape Breton and Canadian talent, including Rita MacNeil, The Rankin Family, The Barra MacNeils, Ashley MacIssac, The White Stripes,^[31] The Barenaked Ladies, k.d. lang, Mr. Dressup, Sarah McLaughlin, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Blue Rodeo, Liona Boyd, Harry Chapin, Melissa Etheridge, Leonard Cohen,^[32] and hundreds of others.^[1]

Recent productions have included performances by Johnny Reid, Brett Kissel, Jeremy Dutcher, Raine Maida and Chantal Kreviazuk, as well as Johnny Reid's new musical Maggie.^[33]

About a decade ago Savoy Theatre management took an in-depth look at the theatre’s operation and realized the business model wasn't working so the theatre changed direction and now 80 per cent of its shows are self-produced.^[28] Recent inhouse productions have included the musicals Dear Rita,^[34] Grease,^[35] Matilda the Musical,^[35] The Rocky Horror Show,^[35] Beauty and the Beast,^[35] Into the Woods,^[35] Chicago,^[35] The Little Mermaid Jr.^[35] Les Misérables,^[35] Finding Nemo: The Big Blue... and Beyond!, 'Elf',^[36] and Jersey Boys.

Theatre details

• The auditorium has a capacity for 761 people with 585 orchestra seats and 206 balcony seats.
• The auditorium continues to occasionally host film. A recent example was a viewing of Queens of the Qing Dynasty.^[37]
• The foyer (lobby) has a capacity for 100 seated cabaret style.
• The Savoy has a commercial kitchen, and servery off the foyer.
• Building is accessible by wheelchair.
• The theatre may be reserved for special meetings and receptions.

Technical details

The Savoy Theatre is a fully restored Victorian proscenium arch-type facility.

STAGE DIMENSIONS

References

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Sydney Dominion Glace Bay Louisbourg New Waterford North Sydney Sydney Mines

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Albert Bridge Alder Point Barachois Harbour Beaver Cove Benacadie Ben Eoin Big Beach Big Pond Birch Grove Boisdale Bras d'Or Broughton Catalone Catalone Gut Christmas Island Coxheath Dalem Lake Donkin East Bay Enon Florence Gabarus Gabarus Lake Gardiner Mines Georges River Grand Lake Road Grand Narrows Hillside Hillside Boularderie Homeville Hornes Road Howie Centre Leitches Creek Leitches Creek Station Lingan Lingan Road Little Bras d'Or Main-à-Dieu Marion Bridge Middle Cape Mira Road New Victoria Northside East Bay Point Aconi Port Morien Reserve Mines Round Island Salem Road Salmon River Road Shunacadie Scotchtown South Bar Sydney Sydney Forks Sydney River Trout Brook Upper Leitches Creek Victoria Bridge Victoria Mines Westmount

Education

Primary/secondary	Cape Breton – Victoria Regional Centre for Education Conseil scolaire acadien provincial
Post-secondary	Canadian Coast Guard College Cape Breton University McKenzie College (Nova Scotia) Nova Scotia Community College (Marconi campus)

Culture, sport,
and recreation

Museums, venues	Centre 200 Cromarty Tennis Club Emera Centre Northside Fortress of Louisbourg Glace Bay Heritage Museum Highland Arts Theatre Holy Angels Arts & Cultural Centre Marconi National Historic Sites Savoy Theatre
Sports teams, events	Cape Breton Eagles Celtic Colours International Festival
Parks & trails	Devils Hill Falls Greenlink Rotary Park Trail System Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail Renwick Brook Park Wentworth Park

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