Celebrating a Century at The Regent Theatre 🎥
Picton’s Regent Theatre, aka ‘The Monarch of Main Street,’ is celebrating its 100th anniversary. It’s been called a ‘cultural beacon’ and ‘the entertainment heartbeat of The County.’
Sue Hierlihy takes a closer look at the Main Street gem, one of the few Edwardian opera houses still operating today.
The Regent was a popular stop on the Vaudeville circuit, with a stage that is as large as that of the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto.
Early history…
Built circa 1830, the original building functioned as a commercial block with shop fronts, and a grain and feed operation. In 1913 George Cook purchased the block and after significant renovations, opened The Regent Theatre on November 2, 1918. Further renovations took place in 1922, including the construction of the 70-foot tall ‘fly tower,’ which allowed stagehands to use ropes, pulleys and counterweights to raise and lower painted backdrops for scene changes. At that time, the theatre had 1,100 seats and was lighted by 10 crystal chandeliers. The stage remains one of the largest in Eastern Ontario to this day.
‘I think it’s quite significant that the Regent is more than a movie theatre – it predates and outlived film as a medium,’ says part-time projectionist Andrew McLuhan. ‘The theatre is 100 years old this year! That’s older than movies! It started out as a Vaudeville house, and will hopefully see even more change, maybe even another century.’
In 1922, the theatre was renovated, with a new roof added. There was enough seating for 1,100 at the time. Today, there are seats for about 400. | Supplied photo
The end of an era…
The theatre was run by George’s daughter Louise Cook throughout the 1960s and 70s, but was open only sporadically, showing movies in the summer and hosting the odd theatrical performance. Memories of the time were captured in a TVO series called “The Tale of a Town.” Television, a changing County demographic and the existence of more modern cinema venues in nearby Belleville conspired to prevent The Regent from being profitable. After many hiccups, it closed for good in 1984 and was dark for 10 years.
The massive projector discs were replaced when movie distributors went digital.
Community ownership…
In 1994 the theatre was purchased by the Regent Theatre Foundation, a County-based non-profit charitable organization. Since that time, the building has undergone many renovations and refurbishments, most recently in 2011. The 1920s façade was restored to its former glory in 2013. The theatre has ongoing membership and sponsorship programs and operates with the assistance of about 100 volunteers.
The ‘green room’ is a massive space below the stage, where musical acts and performers can rest, rehearse and prepare for the stage. Yes, that is beloved children’s performer Mr. Dressup next to the piano.
Centre for the arts…
The Regent provides a unique venue for live theatre and music, first-run movies, art films and an international satellite feed of fine arts programming featuring opera, dance and theatre. In proclaiming November 2018 ‘The Regent Theatre Month’ County officials noted that the theatre ‘provides a stage for County performers, artists and community organizations to develop their arts and give meaning to the County’s unique cultural identity.’
The ‘fly tower’ was unique when it was built, allowing stagehands to quickly change sets between scenes.
Opera, rock, jazz, and chamber music…
The Regent’s musical offerings are many and varied. Satellite provides access to the entire Metropolitan Opera season, and annual streaming of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The theatre has annually been home to both Jazz and Chamber Music festivals. Live vocal performances are common. To mark the 100th birthday of the theatre, local songstress Miss Emily will perform with Suzanne Pasternak, Instant Rivalry and others in a Show of the Century concert.
Words of encouragement, found backstage.
On the big screen…
First-run movies hit The Regent screen each week, for well-attended matinee and evening performances. On alternate Mondays, Cinefest presents not-so-mainstream and hard-to-come-by films for the true cinephile. County Docs screens documentary films twice a month. Via satellite, the theatre presents art films and offerings from London’s Vaudeville Theatre.
The concession still holds the classics: licorice, chocolate-coated raisins and buttery popcorn. Parsons Brewery has made a heritage brew honouring The Regent’s anniversary, for sale at the concession.
The Regent presents…
Live theatre is alive and well at The Regent. Shatterbox Theatre will perform the play Armstrong’s War as a 100th anniversary fundraiser for the theatre. The Festival Players holds summer performances at the venue. The space has also been home to the County Theatre Group and Theatre Passe Muraille. The original dressing rooms and ‘green room’ below the stage have been refurbished, but the blackboards lining the walls for performers to write their show’s running order remain.
