Runnymede Theatre

Runnymede Theatre was a playhouse located in Bloor West Village, an affluent west end Toronto neighbourhood. In 1999, it ceased its operations as a movie theatre to become a Chapters bookstore. Its original address, before Chapters' takeover, was 2223 Bloor Street West, at the southwest corner of Runnymede Road.

History

Commonly known as the "Runny", the Runnymede was built in June, 1927 by the Capitol (later Famous Players) as an atmospheric vaudeville theatre, first of this type in Toronto. It officially opened with a popular MGM comedy, “The Rookies.” The playhouse was designed by Alfred Chapman, father of Chris Chapman, an accomplished Toronto filmmaker. Known for its music and stage shows, the large 1400-seat theatre, branded “Canada’s Theatre Beautiful”, quickly became popular and brought prestige to the west end of the city. [ Serbert, John: "The 'Nabes': Toronto’s wonderful neighbourhood movie houses.", page 67. Mosaic Press, 2001] As an atmospheric theatre, the interior of the Runnymede was designed to transport its guests to an exotic place. The painted blue sky ceiling was adorned with clouds, where a complex lighting system projected an array of stars and airplanes. The walls were decorated with a mural, which produced an illusion of being in a courtyard. [cite web | publisher="Eye"| author=Hendley, Nate | date=December 12 1998 | title= "Run-in at the Runnymede" | url=http://www.eye.net/eye/issue/issue_12.24.98/news_views/hendley24.html] The building discontinued to be used for plays and live entertainment with the gradual death of vaudeville, and was subsequently converted to a movie theatre sometime in the late 1930s.

Hauntings

It is rumoured that the former theatre is haunted by a ghost of a little girl, whose death was supposedly caused by a falling sandbag. [cite web | title="Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society: Runnymede Theatre" | url=http://www.torontoghosts.org/runnymedet.htm] Sandbags were used at the time to control the movement of the curtain before and after a performance. The staff of the cinema believed that they heard sobbing of a little girl behind the screen on the main stage, which was used as a storage supply. However, there are no historical sources to support this story, and, therefore, it is safe to conclude that it is simply an urban legend. The most striking inadequecy in the report is that it states that the tragic accident occurred in the early years of the twentieth century, but the theatre itself was not constructed until 1927.

References

ee also

* Runnymede-Bloor West Village

External links

* [http://cinematreasures.org/theater/864/ Cinema Treasures: Runnymede Theatre]
* [http://www.torontoghosts.org/runnymedet.htm Toronto Ghosts and Hauntings Research Society: Runnymede Theatre]
* [http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/exhibits/theatres/theatres/capitol_cornwall.htm Stories from Ontario's Movie Theatres: Capitol Theatre, Cornwall] - photographs of Runnymede's demolished sister theatre
* [http://www.petroff.com/archive/chapters_run.html Petroff Partnerships] - the firm responsible for the restoration of the theatre; also include a picture of the interior before Chapters-Indigo merger
* [http://webhome.idirect.com/~jleeson/world19News86.htm World19 - Community Action in Bloor West Village, newsletter #86, May 30, 2001]
* [http://webhome.idirect.com/~jleeson/save_the_village.htm “Save the Village” Campaign] - depicts the fears of Bloor West Village residents associated with the arrival of Chapters
* [http://webhome.idirect.com/~jleeson/runnymede.jpg] - a picture of the theatre before the Chapters' takeover and subsequent restoration
* [http://home.flash.net/~ral1/starbucks/bigimages/DSCN6585.jpg] - a photograph depicting the building as a Chapters bookstore, before the merger with Indigo; current condition