Hart House Theatre

watched into the woods, 3 pm show, jan 30 with my children ages, 17, 11, 7 and almost 3. checked the theater’s etiquette on bringing children, couldn’t figure out if it was a family geared play. they say generally, unless specified it was for the family to avoid bringing children under 8. all first three were enthralled and quiet throughout the show. the tix were gifts. next time ill do my research first and not after, ooppps.
let us go to the play itself.
the opening song seemed familiar. i liked the one who portrayed cinderella. her voice is very distinctive. i thought i was watching a major production in broadway. the other actors were good, too. the costumes were nice as well the as design of the stage. props were well appointed as well. the script was very funny esp on the first half. the second half was attended by my husband who said it was a bit, adult-​y or serious. at least, it is still child appropriate as there were many children in the audience. i can say almost half were children.
i wish there was another run so i can enjoy it without the children. thing is if i leave the almost 3 at home, i would have to leave him half a day with the teenager or get babysitting which is hard to find on a weekend. we live in the north end of york region.
i purposedly did not want to react right there and there. when my prana is down, i want to preserve it. besides, if someone complained about me, she would not have an open mind to listen at that point. we would be arguing only for arguments sake.
there is only one thing i have a concern about. may i suggest that the usherette next time look at both side of the customer re complaints. the complainant of course has a valid reason to complain. and the person being complained about has something to say as well. that, they both respected in terms of understanding because they are both customers who would like to enjoy the show.
i admit that my almost three year old kicked the seat twice of the lady in front and with that they lady sitting in front of us, complained right away and didn’t even bother talking to us. we are tapping the lady’s tolerance and patience on this or anyone for that matter.
we consciously made sure that we are seated at the very back row because we know, anytime, the almost three year old disturbed the audience we are ready to go out. that didnt help.
these three ladies came after the show started and blocked our view and blocked our path with a walker. we tolerated it and didnt give a fuss. prior to this episode, the almost three was quietly watching, very enthralled by the presence of the wolf and then his view got blocked, that was when the kicking started.
i am just wondering if a child with autism watches the show, how will he be treated. will he be treated the same or worse please create some creative measures to accommodate a child with exceptionalities.
if this theater house be all inclusive, would the patrons be as well, i hope so.

Hart House Theatre has been a part of my life in some way or another for over a decade.
Crap, I’m old.
Since I have such a soft spot for it, I’ve refrained from reviewing it for fear of being biased. However, I feel it’s time to chime in. There are some mentions of HHT being amatuer-​ish… well duh. It’s semi professional, therefore amateur theatre. It doesn’t pretend to be a Mirvish or Broadway show house, so why place those expectations on it?
What it does do, it does extremely well. It showcases the best up and coming talent on a beautiful historic stage at reasonable prices. Beyond this, their seasons are always made up of 4 – 5 shows with something for everyone. I’m always especially fond of their more non-​traditional choices, when they tackle something that isn’t Shakespeare or a musical. Bravo. Break legs and steal hearts, Hart House.

Awesome theatre for live productions. The sets, costumes, sound, lighting and acting are superb. 4 productions every year, one from Shakespeare, a musical comedy, contemporary drama and miscellaneous including tonight’s «Importance of Being Earnest». The price is good at $ 28 for adults. Always a fun night here.

I love this theater, have been many times. My favorite was when the DQ shows were held here. I look for reasons to attend this theater.

This creaky-​ass old building is probably also one of the best resources for students.
They house a bunch of programs here, music, theatre, lecture events, student services, etc.
Most people will know it for the Gym in the maze of a basement.
After you go down there a few times it’s actually rather easy to know your way around.
I like this gym a lot. It’s not necessarily better than the Athletic Centre. It is just different. Yes, the staff are probably nicer. But that’s negligible. The gym is smaller, kind of poorly ventilated but has some of those smaller workout rooms with full-​length mirrors. The AC doesn’t have that kind of gym-​like feel and is more like a large fieldhouse. this is probably why I sometimes prefer Hart House.
Also, if you didn’t know, grad students and faculty get access to both Hart House gym and AC during the fall/​winter but ONLY get full access to Hart House during Spring/​summer. You have to pay for the AC in the summer.
This inconsistency is also why I tend to go to Hart house more often.
I never have a problem finding a machine in this place and the weight room isn’t too testosterone-​heavy.
j

This was my first foray at the Hart House Theater and from what I experienced I doubt I will come here again. Maybe it has something to do with the production we saw or just the setup this place screams amateur hour.
Starts out with the ticketing area a small hole in the wall which ended up in lineups that also made it uneasy to walk down.
The acoustics are pretty bad specially if you are seated in the back. Same goes for the seating. The seating is not comfortable and you get a lot of partially blocked view due to the placement of the seats. The lobby area is also kept so dark I had to resort to the flash on my phone to find my way.
The building seems to have history and is kept well but the main attraction the theater itself needs an overhaul. The approach to the building is quite dark and my friend was very uncomfortable walking back alone late at night.
I am all for keeping an old historic building intact but there are some areas where one ought to benefit from the advancement in technology.

Hidden away across from Queen’s Park, this theatre does not come across as the typical commercial venue. The art deco theatre is gorgeous outside with its stained block façade and seems at the end of a tunnel when you enter through the ramped entranceway. There are almost 500 seats so it has a decent capacity and great sight lines as it’s not too big to host the type of performing arts that U of T focusses on. The interior is beautiful dark wood and the seats are comfortable. We went as part of a Unilocal dinner and play event which was smashing! One note is that the bathrooms in the lobby are tiny and not up to a capacity crowd. Someone mentioned another bathroom up the hallway if the lobby is too crowded. Make a point of visiting this theatre and take in the history.

Looking at Hart House, it is hard to imagine it houses a full fledged theatre in it’s basement. There is only an orchestra seating level and it’s big enough given that it’s in a basement and the view from the back is certainly not bad (there is a gentle slope and a big stage) and as a result you’re in for a very pleasant theatre going experience here. I’ve seen numerous productions from Shakespeare to Reefer Madness on here and each time the theatre has been well maintained, very organized, the staff were always friendly and despite the lobby area being small it’s large enough for the capacity and bar prices are not too high.
Overall a very intimate experience and you pair that up with cheap tickets (extra affordable if you’re a student) and good talent and you can’t be too disappointed with the Hart House Theatre.