Shaw Festival to Rebuild Royal George Theatre with $25M Federal Investment

The Shaw Festival has welcomed a contribution of up to $25 million from the Government of Canada to support the rebuilding of the Royal George Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

The federal contribution, announced by Chris Bittle, Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, will be provided through the Direct Delivery stream of the Build Communities Strong Fund.

The 110-year-old Royal George Theatre, located on Queen Street in Niagara-on-the-Lake's historic Old Town, closed in 2025 due to failing infrastructure. The replacement venue is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

"The Royal George Theatre is an important part of Niagara-on-the-Lake and a place where generations of Canadians and visitors from around the world have come together to enjoy Great Performances," Bittle said. "This investment will help ensure this cherished theatre can continue to entertain and inspire audiences for years to come."

The new Royal George will include a 350-seat jewel-box theatre designed to retain the intimate experience of the original venue.

Plans also call for a "ghost façade" paying tribute to the original building, an expanded lobby, a dedicated rehearsal hall with windows allowing the public to see rehearsals in progress and flexible community spaces supporting artistic development and educational programming.

The project is being designed to become the first theatre in North America to achieve Zero Carbon Building Design certification and the first performing arts center in North America to meet Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Gold standards.

"Strong communities are created when they are able to bring people together," said Shaw Festival Executive Director/CEO Tim Jennings. "We are deeply grateful to the Government of Canada for recognizing the essential role the arts play in strengthening such communities and deepening real human connection."

"This extraordinary investment through the Build Communities Strong Fund will help create a new Royal George Theatre that honours the site's wonderful and varied history while setting a new standard for accessibility and environmental sustainability," Jennings continued.

The Shaw Festival welcomes more than 325,000 people annually and generates nearly $300 million in economic activity in Niagara and beyond.

The Shaw Festival also confirmed that the Royal George Theatre name will remain on the new venue following a major gift from philanthropists Tim and Frances Price.

Rather than placing their own names on the building, the Prices chose to preserve the Royal George name and its connection to the theatre's history.

"The Royal George has been part of the story of this community for generations," said Shaw Festival Artistic Director Tim Carroll. "Tim and Frances' decision to preserve its name honours everyone who has made memories within its walls – on stage, backstage and in the audience – while allowing the new Royal George to carry that history proudly into the future."

The rebuilding of the Royal George and the recently opened Shaw Artists' Village are central projects in the Festival's All.Together.Now. campaign, an investment in new spaces and programs for the company.

Additional information about the campaign and the Royal George project is available from Shaw Festival's All.Together.Now. campaign.