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The Shaw Festival’s Royal George Theatre (RGT) in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. recently staged its swan song before it will be ripped down and rebuilt.

In April 2025 the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Gaming announced a $35 million investment over three years to support the Shaw Festival’s transformation of the 111-year-old building.

The project is part of the government’s commitment to boost tourism in the region and establish Niagara as a world-class destination and an integral part of the Shaw Festival’s larger transformation project.

Organizers say they have raised another $30 million of the cost from personal donations and hope the remaining balance will come from the federal government.

According to the Shaw Festival’s website, the RGT was built during the First World War in 1915 out of clay “speed” tile, with the structure only designed to last for a short time. Due to the clay foundation, and the original intent of the building to be temporary, the foundation exceeded its usable life by decades. With constant flooding, inadequate accessibility and other concerns, it surpassed its structural lifespan and a rebuild was deemed necessary.

The new 50,000-square-foot theatre will honour elements of the original building’s design and is expected to include 20 per cent more seats. It will also be built to modern standards, including a new, accessible lobby and lounge areas for visitors as well as new rehearsal and workspaces.

“We are rebuilding on the site with a state-of-the-art new theatre that will homage the previous one. It is intended to be North America’s first zero carbon theatre complex and most accessible theatre building,” said RGT executive director Tim Jennings.

The build, designed by Unity Design Studio, will be inspired by the heritage character of Queen Street and will be Rick Hansen Gold Certified, offering unprecedented levels of accessibility.

The RHFAC is a rating system that measures and certifies the level of meaningful access to buildings and sites. 

The reconstruction, built by Govan Brown, is expected to create 550 new jobs, contribute $80 million in GDP and generate $29 million in government revenues during the duration of the project.

“Hundreds of skilled workers are directly supported by the Shaw Festival Theatre, as well as thousands of spin-off jobs in the local tourism economy right across Niagara,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West. “This provincial investment shows the determination of our government to protect workers and jobs in our region and across the province. We will continue to work with our partners in the arts and culture sector, like the Shaw Festival, to ensure that Ontario remains a premier arts and culture destination for many years to come.”

Demolition on the site starts this week, with the build through to fall 2028.