The Randolph Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at the intersection with Lennox Street. The 500-seat theatre is in the former church sanctuary, while the smaller 100-seat Annex Theatre is in an adjoining building at 730 Bathurst Street. The building is also home to the Randolph College for the Performing Arts, a performing arts school. The theatres are rented out to travelling shows and local theatre companies, as well as used for the school's productions.
History
The building was originally home to Bathurst Street Wesleyan Methodist Church. This congregation was an extension of Elm Street WMC, and started in 1860. In 1862, services were being conducted in a cottage on nearby Markham Street, and the area was known as Seaton Village, still outside of the Toronto city limits. After a gift of land on Bathurst Street from the son of John Strachan, the first building on this site was constructed in 1866. Following a congregational split in 1869, this congregation continued to grow and was joined by the former Primitive Methodist congregation in 1884, following the union of Methodists across Canada. The present building was erected by the congregation in 1888 to meet the demands of the growing population, and the United Methodist presence in Toronto. The building was designed by the architectural firm of Gordon & Helliwell. In 1925, the congregation joined the new United Church of Canada and became Bathurst Street United Church. A minority of Presbyterians from St. Paul's PC joined, as St Paul's remained within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In the 1950s, as the earlier families emigrated to the suburbs, the congregation shrank. A number of strategies were tried to increase attendance: one of these was the Sunday Evening Forums, wherein the Sunday evening sermon was replaced by a panel discussion on social issues among prominent guests. Running from 1944 to 1951, noted panelists included Tim Buck, who lived nearby. The small congregation had difficulty maintaining the old structure, and they began to rent out the building for concerts and plays. Increasingly, the building became better known for its role as a theatre than for being a church. In 1985, the congregation finally opted to leave the building, and it now meets at nearby Trinity-St. Paul's United Church. The building then became a permanent and well-known theatre. In 2000, the United Church of Canada sold the building to George Randolph Jr.
