Redwood Theatre

Redwood Theatre is a 200-seat, 250-person-standing room in Toronto’s Greenwood-Coxwell area, set inside a 1914 former vaudeville house. Its defining concertgoer feature is a set of Tactile Sound Chairs, available by request, which turn audio into physical vibration for people with hearing loss. The barrier-free main room has step-free audience access, making this a compact choice for listeners seeking an accessibility-centred live experience.

A theatre, warehouse, circus hub

In 1914, amusements operator Joseph Garnet built the Classic Theatre for vaudeville, creating a 700-seat theatre and hall at Gerrard and Redwood. Film screenings soon joined the bill, and the house functioned as a cinema through the 1950s. In 1956 and 1957, the site shifted sharply: Pennyworth’s Department Stores repurposed it as offices and warehouse space, a role lasting into the late 1980s. A second reversal arrived in 2017, when Maria Karam bought the building as condo developers prepared to take it, with the aim of creating an accessible performing-arts hub. The Inventors Nest restored live creative use; Redwood Theatre opened under its present identity in 2023, alongside a lounge, café, gallery, studios, and circus facilities. Each reuse left a practical legacy: a large, adaptable building that hosts aerial training, rehearsals, and audience events under one roof.

How the room works now

Current programming centres jazz, R&B, rock, and folk, while the booking remit also covers dance, circus, comedy, theatre, film, and visual-art events. The Orbit Room’s resident series adds a particular soul and R&B thread to the calendar. Seated shows use café and folding tables for 200; standing concerts fit 250. A 4.5-foot stage, Adamson sound system, and bar with a VIP lounge give the room a polished small-venue setup, with a broad floor plan suited to both listening sets and movement-heavy shows.