Queen Elizabeth Theatre

The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is a performing arts venue in downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is one of three facilities operated by the Vancouver Civic Theatres Department. Built in 1959 by the City of Vancouver, the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is the home of Vancouver Opera and Ballet British Columbia. The 70 foot wide proscenium arch stage is the perfect multi-purpose venue for Broadway shows, pop and rock concerts, opera and dance, as well as live broadcast gala award ceremonies and telethons. It has a maximum capacity of 2,929 seats, but regularly seats around 2,500.

The Queen Elizabeth Theatre is Vancouver’s largest theatre. It stages other types of concerts and events, especially rock concerts. The Mezzanine Art Gallery feathering works by local artists is also located here. The gallery changes its exhibits on a monthly basis, and includes a variety of types or art including paintings, photography, sculpture and more.

The Theatre has been going through a renovation process that’s been slowed down by the consistent discovery of lead dust contamination, which came up during the first stage of renovations. The work still has to be done, as the Queen Elizabeth Theatre is venue of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad, which will take place during the same time frame as the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Most recently, the Theatre hosted the DJ Stylus Awards, the only urban music awards event of its kind in Canada. It was Canada’s tribute to urban style music of the country, and it had an attendance of around 1,300 people. This followed recent shows by American performers Sarah McLachlan and David Byrne.

Nearby hotels range from the less expensive Ramada Limited Downtown Vancouver and go to the more expensive at the Pan Pacific Vancouver! Other hotels close by include: The Georgian Court Hotel; Delta Vancouver Suites Hotel; The Westin Grand Vancouver; L’Hermitage; The Fairmont Waterfront; Metropolitan Hotel; Hotel Le Soleil; and the Moda Hotel.