Even though the dust has barely settled on Toronto’s summer of indie theatre festivals, theatre artists are already gearing up for next year (Fringe applications will be available in a month). But when it comes to next summer’s venues, there will be an obvious gaping hole in the bunch: Bread & Circus, Kensington Market’s tiny-theatre-bar-that-could, is closing its doors this weekend.
Earlier this month, the 85-seat concert venue and bar released a statement on its Facebook page announcing that after three years, “the B&C partnership of independent artists have not had their lease renewed and will be wrapping it up and moving on to new creative projects.”
“It’s a great space for theatre and music and new producers in all genres, so it feels really sad,” Jackie English, one of the owners, tells us. “And it was a perfect fit for Kensington, so that’s a shame.” As for why the venue is closing, English preferred not to comment on the details but did say “we were given sufficient notice and [the landlords] have been supportive.”
Whatever the reason, the closure of the theatre space is definitely a loss for Toronto’s indie theatre scene. It was a go-to-venue for local emerging talent, and with good reason: the huge Fringe hit My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding was first staged there in the summer of 2009 before getting picked up by Mirvish; the Canadian Comedy Award-winning The Carnegie Hall Show was born there and many successful musical acts from NXNE and Canadian Music Week played there, too.
Though its closure is bittersweet, B&C promises to go out with a bang: a closing party for the venue, dubbed “Drink Us Dry,” is planned for this Sunday.
Bread & Circus, 299 Augusta, 416-925-8898