Then & Now

Originally known as “Playhouse 66”, Theatre Scarborough is an affiliation of community theatre groups who perform at the Scarborough Village Theatre.

Playhouse 66 was named for our previous theatre building, an old church at 66 Denton Avenue – where the Oakridge Community Centre is now. In 1982 we moved into the newly built Scarborough Village Theatre where we continue to perform today.

Scarborough Theatre Guild was formed in 1959 from the amalgamation of three smaller community theatre groups. Their headquarters was an old farm house at Midland and Ellesmere where set building took place in two old chicken houses. The group flourished, and in 1969 moved into an old church at 66 Denton Avenue – the birth of Playhouse 66.

Scarborough Players was founded by the late John Caldwell. Originally performing at the Club Top Hat on Kingston Road and the old Frigidaire Building on Eglinton, the group eventually became a part of Playhouse 66.

Scarborough Music Theatre evolved out of the Church of the Master Senior Choir’s concerts in the early 1960’s. First known as “Scarborough Light Opera”, the group began performing Gilbert and Sullivan operettas in the early years. Gilbert and Sullivan still appears occasionally in their repertoire, as do traditional musical theatre favourites such as West Side Story, The Sound of Music, and Annie, as well as modern musicals such as Falsettos, The Who’s Tommy, and The Full Monty.

Today the three groups work together more closely than ever, sharing resources to provide the Scarborough community with high quality entertainment and affordable prices.