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| The ill-fated St. Patrick's Hall 1868-1872 |
1-1804 a playhouse, said to be Montreal's first, opened atop a warehouse next to the old post office north side of Place D'Armes. It was operated by Ormsby, the noted Scottish actor. Some complained that the tickets were expensive and the acting was bad, as soldiers from the nearby barracks took the stage. There was only one actress and young boys played female roles.
2-1808 -The Garrick on St. Jean Baptiste
3-1808 military theatre in artillery hall on St. Paul.
4-Montreal Theatre 3 Rue du College later became the Mansion Hotel. It was heated with wood stoves placed around the hall.
5-A playhouse behind the St. Lawrence Hall was successful enough to wipe out the Montreal Theatre. Did lots of plays for and by the men from the barracks and their wives, who were constantly bored with nothing to do
6-Royal Theatre 1825 built by John Molson who died in 1836 age 76. It was on St Paul near Bonsecours. Expensive-looking place with Doric columns. It had a small stage later expanded. Frederick Brown, considered a great actor, managed it. Edmund Keane and his son Charles Keane acted there as, did his wife Ellen Tree. Charles Dickens acted there in 1842 aged 30. It closed 1845.
7-Hays Theatre - 1852 Just South of what became the Viger Hotel. Tried to fill the space left by the closure of the Royal seven years earlier. The curtain, painted by Martani, cost $6,000 alone. Shows supposedly included one with 60 dancers from Vienna and 38 German musicians who played three months straight. Some say the fire of 1852 started in the stables nearby. It burned the Hays hotel and shops as well.
8- Where later stood the Hotel Riendeau hosted plays from 1830- 40. It was considered a second rate theatre but was the site of a kerfuffle involving a Patriote who refused to stand for God Save the King. (See my book Montreal 375 Tales for the full story)
9-Mansion Hall 1833 near the British American Hotel was destroyed 24 April 1833. It was run by Rasco, who later opened a hotel under his own name. It featured such events as a flea show with real fleas.
10-Royal Theatre – 1851 - Catherine "The Irish Swan" Hayes was among its noted performers. Lots of military guys doing shows.
11– Mechanics Hall - 1854 - corner St. Pierre and St. James. First floor housed a library, second floor show hall. Became a museum in 1885.
12- 1845 - 1870 Shows were held upstairs at the Marche Bonsecours
13 - Bonaventure Concert Hall - 1857 - NW corner St James and Victoria Square. Held some French plays.
14- The Terrapin Club, in the Masson Block on Notre Dame. (about halfway down the block east of the Main, north side). Jingoistic Brits, guys from the barracks doing their thing. Was still going as a restaurant in 1890.
15-Nordheimer's Music Hall c. 1860 – 59 Great St. James - Described in one 1862 article as "probably the finest public room in the Province." Opened by the German Abraham Nordheimer who funded many such venues with money he made building and selling instruments. Samuel Nordheimer was the Montreal guy. It later became a boxing school.
16-Crystal Palace 1860 Peel and St. Catherine, SE corner, built by the Arts and Manufacturers Council. In 1864 it hosted a tribute to the Shakespeare Tricentennial.
17- St. Patrick Hall 1868 – on Victoria Square. Calixa Lavallee performed on opening night 3 Sept. 1868. The upper floor of this 140 x 100 foot building was the same height as the two lower floors combined, to give space for a high ceiling to make room for a 2,000 seat concert hall but the roof collapsed under the snow and repairs entailed renovations to improve sound quality, so they jammed highly-flammable cotton into the ceiling. On Wednesday Oct 2, 1872 winds blew flames from a fire at the Ronayne's shoe factory across a 12 foot laneway, burning it down just four years after it was built. The building was well-insured.
18-Academy of Music 1875 built on Victoria Street downtown. Many good stories, once again see my book for details. Famous performers included Albani, Adelina Patti, Sarah Bernhardt, Mrs. Second-Weber, Jane Hardin, Theo, Judie Coquelin, Mounet-Sully
19- Dominion Theatre 1871 - Had been a Protestant church. It was on Gosford across from Champs de Mars street. Held melodramatic plays then became a variety house where a trapeze act ended in a near-calamity in 1874.
20 -1888 - SW corner University and St Catherine, saw the start of vaudeville with acts like jugglers, acrobats, singers, and afternoon shows. Owner worked with Sparrow, who owned the Royal Theatre and their shows were also held at Mechanics Hall, Dime Parlor Museum, the Lyceum on Beaver Hall Hill, the museum on St. Dominique w(which later became the Empire and then Theatre Francais) and on Notre Dame were the old Institute Canadien had previously been.
21- Le Conservatoire - 1887 Brousseau transformed a building at Bonsecours and Champs de Mars to hold French plays.
*This is mostly cobbled together from a 1908 article by Massicote in a theatre program which I found in a Google book search. I can no longer find the link.