HomeCultureBread & Circus, Kensington Market’s tiny theatre-bar, is closing its doors

Bread & Circus, Kensington Market’s tiny theatre-bar, is closing its doors

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

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