Mirvish Productions, commonly known as Mirvish, is a Canadian theatrical production company, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1986 by David Mirvish with his father, Ed Mirvish, the company is the largest commercial theatre company in Canada. Mirvish Productions currently own and operate 4 theatres in the downtown Toronto area: the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Princess of Wales Theatre, Ed Mirvish Theatre, and the CAA Theatre.
History
Beginning and early years
In 1963, at the encouragement of his wife (Anne) and son (David), Ed Mirvish purchased the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, saving it from demolition. He spent several months renovating the theatre and installing a large marquee at the front of the theatre. The theatre re-opened on September 9, 1963, with the Canadian premiere of Never Too Late, which starred William Bendix. In the subsequent years, the Royal Alexandra Theatre was used as a "road house", which staged short touring productions from London and New York.
In 1982, London's The Old Vic theatre was placed for sale and ultimately purchased by Ed Mirvish for £550,000, outbidding Andrew Lloyd Webber. With his son David, they refurbished the theatre to allow it to return to staging productions. The theatre reopened on October 31, 1983 with The Queen Mother in attendance. Following mounting financial losses, Mirvish sold The Old Vic to a charitable trust in 1998, which will continue operating the theatre as a non-profit.
By 1985, Ed began to retire and transition out of the theatre industry. In 1986, David Mirvish sensed greater potential with the shows being staged by them, which led to the founding of Mirvish Productions in 1987.
In 1991, the Tomson Highway play, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, was staged at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. It became the first play by an Indigenous author to be staged there, and was the first native Canadian play to receive a major commercial production in Canada.
Theatres
The first theatre used by Mirvish Productions was the Royal Alexandra Theatre, which was purchased by Ed Mirvish in 1963. In 1987, the theatre was named a National Historic Monument.
In 1991, Ed and David Mirvish began construction of a new theatre built on a vacant lot on King Street East in downtown Toronto. It was the first privately funded theatre to be built in Canada, since the Royal Alexandra Theatre in 1907. The new 2000-seat theatre was named the Princess of Wales Theatre in honour of Diana, Princess of Wales. The theatre opened on May 26, 1993, with a Canadian production of Miss Saigon that was produced in partnership with Cameron Mackintosh.
In 2001, Mirvish began leasing space at the Canon Theatre to present productions. As part of the lease agreement, Mirvish was granted the first right to purchase the theatre should it be placed for sale. This sale took place in 2008, when Key Brand Entertainment agreed to sell the Canon Theatre to Mirvish. As part of the sale, Mirvish also acquired the 700-seat Panasonic Theatre. Although the sale of Canon Theatre was challenged by Aubrey Dan, Mirvish won the protracted legal battle, ultimately giving Mirvish two Yonge Street theatres.
On December 6, 2011, Mirvish announced that the Canon Theatre would be renamed the Ed Mirvish Theatre in honour of Ed Mirvish, who passed away in July 2007.
On September 29, 2012, Mirvish Productions announced a plan to demolish the Princess of Wales Theatre in favour of a multi-purpose complex designed by Frank Gehry that would include an extensive artwork collection available for public viewing, as well as museums, condominium units, and retail spaces. However, following extensive consultations and criticism from city planners, Mirvish announced a revised plan in May 2014 that would save the Princess of Wales Theatre.
On December 1, 2017, the Panasonic Theatre was renamed the CAA Theatre as part of a marketing partnership between Mirvish Productions and CAA.
Theatre renovations
In 2016, following the closure of the Canadian production of Kinky Boots, the Royal Alexandra Theatre underwent a $2.5 million renovation. 250 seats were removed in favour of larger, more comfortable seats and greater leg room, and a general refurbishment of the theatre was undertaken.
In 2019, the façade of the Royal Alexandra Theatre was wrapped in blue for the Canadian production of Dear Evan Hansen. The blue wrap was removed after the production closed.