Guide to live theatre in Ontario

Huron, Perth, Waterloo and Wellington

Stratford Festival

The Stratford Festival is North America’s largest classical repertory theatre company. It showcases classics and contemporary and musical productions, emphasizing Shakespeare's works.

The high calibre of performances and production make the Stratford Festival one of the best summer festivals in Canada. From Christopher Plummer to Megan Follows, many household names have trodden the boards at Stratford.

Each season features a different theme. The 2025 Stratford Festival season runs from April to October with productions that explore the theme “Apollo, Venus and Mars: Reflections on Harmony, Love and War.”

The Stratford Festival offers bus service to and from downtown Toronto on the Stratford Direct Bus.

Theatre locations:

• Festival Theatre, 55 Queen Street, Stratford
• Avon Theatre, 99 Downie Street, Stratford
• Tom Patterson Theatre, 111 Lakeside Drive, Stratford
• Studio Theatre, 34 George Street East, Stratford

Drayton Festival Theatre

A 25-minute drive north of St. Jacobs in the rural crossroads community of Drayton, the Drayton Festival Theatre was built in 1902 as an Opera Hall. It became a popular attraction during the vaudeville era in the 1930s.

This theatre is part of the Drayton Entertainment Theatre Company, which operates several unique theatre festivals showcasing an eclectic mix of Broadway blockbusters, musicals, comedies, dramas and family-focused productions. 

Location: 33 Wellington Street South, Drayton

St. Jacobs Country Playhouse

St. Jacobs’ entertainment venue reflects local Mennonite culture with traditional timber architecture and masonry.

This theatre is part of the Drayton Entertainment Theatre Company. 

Location: 40 Benjamin Road, Waterloo

Hildebrand Schoolhouse Theatre St. Jacobs

Located in St. Jacobs Market District and set in an intimate, 100-seat, 1867 village schoolhouse, Hildebrand Schoolhouse Theatre St. Jacobs is known for its high-quality and original Canadian programming.

This theatre is part of the Drayton Entertainment Theatre Company. 

Location: 11 Albert Street West, St. Jacobs

Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge

Hamilton Family Theatre Cambridge is in historic Old Galt, renowned for its Dickensian architecture and old-world charm.

This theatre is part of the Drayton Entertainment Theatre Company. 

Location: 46 Grand Avenue South, Cambridge

Huron Country Playhouse

In addition to the main stage, which takes place in a converted rustic barn on the outskirts of Grand Bend, additional productions are held on the South Huron Stage.

This theatre is part of the Drayton Entertainment Theatre Company. 

Location: 70689 B Line, Grand Bend

Blyth Festival

Rural Ontario takes centre stage at the annual Blyth Festival in Goderich. For over 50 years, this local theatre has been hosting stirring and vibrant stories from a Canadian country and farm life perspective.

Location: 423 Queen Street, Blyth

Niagara Region

Shaw Festival

What began in 1962 as a four-weekend festival experiment in the heart of Ontario’s wine country is now celebrating its 63rd season featuring Cole Porter, C.S. Lewis and Irving Berlin.

Plays by quick-witted social satirist Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries grace the stage in Niagara-on-the-Lake during the Shaw Festival.

In addition, the Shaw Festival hosts concerts, special events and performances in two outdoor venues, the BMO Stage and the Spiegeltent.

The Shaw Express bus provides direct service from Toronto to Niagara-on-the-Lake, with a stop in Burlington.

Theatre locations:

• Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Royal George Theatre, 85 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake
• Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake

Southwestern Ontario

Lighthouse Theatre Festival

Enjoy professional and amateur live theatre focusing on home-grown Canadian content at Port Dover and Port Colborne theatres.

Be prepared to laugh. The Lighthouse Festival is known to excel in the development and production of entertaining comedies that deliver fun.

Locations:

• Lighthouse Theatre, 247 Main Street, Port Dover
• Roselawn Theatre, 296 Fielden Avenue, Port Colborne

Theatre Woodstock

Celebrating over 75 years of award-winning live theatre, Theatre Woodstock also offers theatre training for young people through their STAGES program.

Location: 22 Reeve Street, Woodstock

Grand Theatre

London’s heritage Grand Theatre hosts plays, musicals and special events. The building, which dates back to 1901, boasts a proscenium arch (a rare architectural feature), original art and reportedly ghostly apparitions.

Location: 471 Richmond Street, London

Palace Theatre Arts Commons

The Palace Theatre Arts Commons (PTAC) is home to the London Fringe, London Community Players, London Youth Theatre Education, and the new "Theatre Company in Residence," Banished by The King Productions, so there's always something fun to see at this historic venue.

Location: 710 Dundas Street, London

Hamilton, Halton and Brant

Hamilton Fringe Festival

Founded in 2002, the Hamilton Fringe Festival has grown to become the city’s biggest, boldest 12-day summer arts festival. It features over 50 companies and over 350 performances, illuminating multiple venues across town with live comedy, theatre, music, dance, art, film and family fare.

The festival takes place from July 16 to 27, 2025.

Location: Various venues in Hamilton

Greater Toronto Area

Founded in 1986 by father and son duo Ed and David Mirvish, the Mirvish Theatre production company has welcomed some of the best comedy, drama and musical shows to life on signature Toronto stages for over 50 years.

CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre

Known initially as The Pantages Theatre, this heritage venue was built and designed in 1920 as a vaudeville and motion picture theatre.

This theatre is part of the Mirvish Theatre production. 

Location: 244 Victoria Street, Toronto

Royal Alexandra Theatre

The “Royal Alex” is a beloved local landmark. Constructed in the beaux-arts style in 1907, it’s one of North America's oldest continuously operating legitimate theatres.

This theatre is part of the Mirvish Theatre production. 

Location: 260 King Street West, Toronto

Princess of Wales Theatre

Home to blockbuster classic and contemporary musical productions, Princess of Wales Theatre is a 2,000-seat theatre located on King Street West in the heart of Toronto’s entertainment district.

This theatre is part of the Mirvish Theatre production. 

Location: 300 King Street West, Toronto

Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre

Tour the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre on Yonge Street before your show. The design and history of this theatre complex are as fascinating and fabled as the live productions it hosts.

It has evolved through decades of different theatre styles, from vaudeville to cinema and is the world’s last remaining stacked Edwardian venue. It’s also rumoured to be haunted!

Location: 189 Yonge Street, Toronto

SummerWorks Festival

SummerWorks delivers introspective contemporary performances.

The festival takes place from August 7 to 17, 2025.

Location: 423-401 Richmond Street West, Toronto

Soulpepper Theatre Company

Held in a former distillery building, Soulpepper is Toronto’s largest independent not-for-profit theatre company that celebrates the fine art of storytelling.

Location: 50 Tank House Lane, Toronto

Canadian Stage

Catch contemporary and thought-provoking shows that explore Canada's diverse and dynamic cultural landscape. Venues include traditional indoor theatres and the popular High Park Amphitheatre, perfect for warm summer evenings.

Locations:

• Berkley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley Street, Toronto
• Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto
• High Park Amphitheatre, 1873 Bloor Street West, Toronto
• The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatre Centre, 189 Yonge Street, Toronto

Luminato Festival

Toronto’s leading arts festival delivers exciting indie theatre each summer and treats audiences to notable and intriguing theatre, dance and opera.

This festival takes place from June 4 to 22, 2025.

Location: Various venues in Toronto

Toronto Fringe Festival

The Toronto Fringe Festival presents alternative, innovative and unconventional theatrical performances.

This festival takes place from July 2 to 13, 2025.

Location: Various venues in Toronto

Young People’s Theatre

Canada’s largest and oldest professional theatre for young people offers plays that will engage your children's imaginations, as well as theatre and arts education programming.

Location: 165 Front Street East, Toronto

Guild Festival Theatre

The professional cast from Guild Festival Theatre performs adaptations of beloved classics under the stars at The Greek Theatre in Guild Park and Gardens. Located on the Scarborough Bluffs, which overlooks Lake Ontario, the historic park offers the perfect ambience for outdoor entertainment.

Location: 201 Guildwood Parkway, Guildwood, Scarborough

Crane Creations Theatre Company

Crane Creations facilitates live theatre events that reach audiences of all ages and support new and established artists.

Families and kids will have a great time at the Puppet Festival, featuring fun puppetry and animation, during March Break from March 11 to 16, 2025.

Location: 3650 Dixie Road, Mississauga

York, Durham and Headwaters

Theatre on the Ridge

The raised performance tent on the property of Scugog Shores Museum Village signals an exciting summer theatre season is underway. Purchase tickets or a summer pass. Don’t miss the patron perks you can enjoy before or after the show.

Location: 16210 Island Road, Port Perry

Bruce, Grey and Simcoe

King’s Wharf Theatre

Nestled within Discovery Harbour on the shores of Georgian Bay in Penetanguishene, The King’s Wharf Theatre is flanked by majestic tall ships and the historic buildings of a 19th-century British naval and military base.

This theatre is part of the Drayton Entertainment Theatre Company.

Location: 97 Jury Drive, Penetanguishene

Simcoe County Theatre Festival

The Simcoe County Theatre Festival sets the stage for local writers, directors and performers to showcase their talent to the region. The festival is hosted at the downtown Five Points Theatre in Barrie.

Location: 55 Dunlop Street East #1, Barrie

Orillia Opera House

The Orillia Opera House has been delivering top-quality professional entertainment to downtown Orillia since 1895.

Location: 1 West Street North, Orillia

Theatre Georgian Bay presents Bard on the Bay

Theatre Georgian Bay’s annual series Bard on the Bay occurs at Collingwood’s Shipyards Amphitheatre. Past open-air performances have featured Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night.

Location: 2 North Maple Street, Collingwood

Kawarthas and Northumberland

4th Line Theatre

Embrace the Canadian narrative at 4th Line Theatre with two summer plays focusing on Canadian culture, local history and regional themes. The outdoor theatre is set under a historic barn on the idyllic Winslow Farm in Millbrook, just south of Peterborough.

Location: 779 Zion Line, Millbrook

Capitol Theatre

Port Hope’s community-engaged Capitol Theatre is the last remaining ‘atmospheric’ theatre in Canada, an intimate design style made popular in the late 1920s. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 2016.

Location: 20 Queen Street, Port Hope

Globus Theatre

Located at the Lakeview Arts Barn near Bobcaygeon, Globus Theatre delivers an array of new shows each summer. Once a working cattle barn, this rustic venue now serves as a comfortable and contemporary theatre for eclectic and entertaining comedy, music and drama.

Location: 2300 Pigeon Lake Road, Bobcaygeon

Westben Arts Festival

Westben showcases world-class musical and theatre performances all summer within a magnificent timber-frame barn with views over the rolling farm hills outside Campbellford.

Location: 6698 County Road 30, Campbellford

Nogojiwanong Indigenous Fringe Festival (NIFF)

Experience authentic and uncensored theatre, dance, music and comedy from Indigenous creators, artists, storytellers and performers.

This festival takes place from June 19 to 22, 2025.

Location: 1 Gzowski Way, Peterborough

Southeastern Ontario

1,000 Islands Playhouse

Nestled on the banks of the St. Lawrence River waterway in Gananoque, the 1,000 Islands Playhouse is a dockside professional live theatre with seven stellar shows that span comedy, drama, music and song.

Location: 185 South Street, Gananoque

The Regent Theatre

This rare Edwardian-style opera house opened in 1918 and plays live shows, classics and the latest hits.

Location: 224 Picton Main Street, Picton

St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival

Prescott’s riverside amphitheatre showcases Shakespearean intrigue during the annual summer St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival.

Location: 206 King Street West, Prescott

Driftwood Theatre Group

Driftwood Theatre Group is a non-venued theatre company that delivers accessible, live theatre to all audiences. Driftwood hosts affordable (often free) and quality performances in various settings, from local parks to local pubs.

Location: Based in Picton, Prince Edward County

Ottawa Region

Great Canadian Theatre Company

This Ottawa-based theatre group is the city’s largest professional, independent theatre. It produces a selection of mainstage plays, unique experiences for young audiences, workshops and other events.

Location: 1233 Wellington Street West, Ottawa

Ottawa Little Theatre

The oldest continuous community theatre in North America, the Ottawa Little Theatre is a vital part of Ottawa’s art scene.

Location: 400 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa

Ottawa Fringe

Ottawa Fringe hosts the independent Ottawa Fringe Festival and the winter undercurrents festivals and manages the Arts Court Theatre. Enjoy performances from emerging and established artists.

The Ottawa Fringe Festival takes place from June 12 to 22, 2025.

Location: 2 Daly Avenue #100, Ottawa

Classic Theatre Festival

Summer is brighter at Ottawa’s Arts Court Theatre with its Classic Theatre Festival featuring classic shows made popular on Broadway and the London stage in the UK.

Location: 2 Daly Avenue, Ottawa