Since opening in September 1980, Centre In The Square at 101 Queen Street North in downtown Kitchener, Ontario, has drawn nearly 200,000 patrons annually to its acoustically acclaimed concert hall. The building was designed by local firm Rieder, Hymmen and Lobban with theatre consultants and acousticians Russell Johnson Associates of New York. It cost just over eleven million dollars, funded by a Wintario lottery grant, the City of Kitchener, government grants, and public donations, and earned international attention for its expansive views and superior sound quality. The main performance space, the Raffi Armenian Theatre, is a tri-level hall with 1,951 permanent seats across orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony levels. The stage was, at the time of construction, the second largest in Canada after the National Arts Centre, and the orchestra pit -- modelled after Bayreuth, Germany -- holds up to 110 musicians. A retractable concert ceiling, moveable acoustic towers, curved auditorium walls, and a tunable canopy system allow the acoustics to be optimised for each performance, from a full symphony to a solo singer-songwriter. The Centre is owned by the City of Kitchener and operated by a not-for-profit corporation governed by a 14-member board. It is the permanent home of Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony performances and regularly presents concerts, plays, lectures, comedy, dance, and family programming -- over 140 shows a year. The Studio Theatre, a second performing space within the building, was retrofitted in 2011 with federal stimulus funding into a versatile room for up to 350 patrons. The independently operated Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery is also housed in the building. The Raffi Armenian Theatre name honours longtime Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony music director Raffi Armenian, whose ambition to stage Wagner's Ring cycle drove the design of the hall's large stage and orchestra pit. Among performers who have appeared at the Centre are Sarah McLachlan, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, Daniel Tosh, and George Carlin.

Type: Theater / Concert Hall

Address: 101 Queen Street North, Kitchener, ON, Canada, N2H 6P7

Website: https://centreinthesquare.com

Capacity: 1951

Opening Date: 01/09/1980