Introduction
It must have been remarkable. On 6 January 1908, Wallace the Untamable Lion stepped onto the stage, backed by a trio of Italian street singers, a sax duo and film reels. “The orchestra in the pit played, the packed house cheered, the reviewers raved.”
Impresario Alexander Pantages welcomed the first audience, and so the Pantages Theatre opened nearly a century ago.
Since then, the theatre has operated under many different names as a movie theatre, a live theatre venue, and a live music venue.
The significance of the Pantages as a landmark is vast - it is the oldest surviving theatre in Vancouver, and the oldest purpose-built vaudeville theatre interior in Canada. It is also the oldest surviving Pantages theatre in North America.