Theatres - Shaw Festival Theatre

The Shaw Festival presents plays in three distinctive theatres – the Festival Theatre, the Royal George Theatre and the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre – as well as a beautiful outdoor venue, the Spiegeltent.

The Festival Theatre is The Shaw’s flagship theatre. This beautiful proscenium-arch theatre, lined with British Columbia cedar, seats 856, and features a Café and The Shawp, a retail shop featuring theatre memorabilia and the work of theatre and Niagara artisans. Enjoy your lunch or dinner or even just a light snack on our beautiful outdoor patio, with indoor seating also available. Pre-show and at intermission, sit under the wisteria and take in the peaceful grounds and reflecting pond, wander to our secret garden or shop for theatre souvenirs to bring home.

This 305-seat theatre – right in the heart of the old town – was built as a vaudeville house to entertain the troops stationed in Niagara-on-the-Lake during World War I. The Royal George presents a modest exterior, but inside it’s all Edwardian gilt mouldings, red walls and golden lions! Enjoy the atmospheric basement bar and lounge lined with black and white photographs from past productions.

The Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre is a 267-seat theatre located in the Shaw Festival’s Production Centre (same location as the Festival Theatre).

To access the theatre, use the Production Centre entrance – the furthest set of doors adjacent to our driveway. The Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre offers an intimate theatre experience and shares an outdoor patio with the Festival Theatre which overlooks beautiful gardens and grounds which are ideal for a stroll. You can pre-order your drink for intermission and it will be waiting for you, giving you more time to enjoy our serene and stunning surroundings.

856 Seats (maximum)

Parking is available for a fee of $25 per performance - we encourage electronic payment. Parking attendant will have a handheld debit/credit terminal. Limited parking for people with disabilities is also available for the same fee. Additional parking is available on the streets (parking meters) and at Fort George ($).

• The Festival Theatre orchestra seating is at street level. Wheelchair-accessible seating is available at the rear of the orchestra and there is a long flight of stairs leading to the front of the orchestra section.
• Access to balcony seating is reached via three flights of stairs (a total of 40 steps) with NO ELEVATOR ACCESS. Inside the balcony there are several stairs down to your seat.
• Wheelchair-accessible washrooms are available on the street level.
• For special access seating, call the Box Office to book and please arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance for assistance.

Supported by

305 Seats (maximum)

Parking is available (metered and non-metered) on the streets surrounding the theatre. Please allow extra time to find a parking space.

• The Royal George Theatre has special access seating available upon request.
• Please note, this theatre does not have any elevator access.
• Orchestra level seating is four steps above street level. There is also a flight of stairs (14 steps) up to the balcony and another small flight of stairs down to your seats.
• Access to the basement bar and lounge can only be reached by stairs (17 steps).
• An automatic wheelchair lift is located near the front entrance of the theatre. Please ask staff for assistance to use the lift.
• A wheelchair-accessible washroom is located behind the Royal George Box Office next door to the theatre, accessible only from outside.
• For special access seating, call the Box Office to book and please arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance for assistance.

267 Seats (maximum)

Parking is available for a fee of $25 per performance - we encourage electronic payment. Parking attendant will have a handheld debit/credit terminal. Limited parking for people with disabilities is also available for the same fee. Additional parking is available on the streets (parking meters) and at Fort George ($).

• The Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre has special access seating and wheelchair-accessible washrooms.
• If you have mobility issues, please be aware that to access your seats there is a flight of stairs to reach most of them.
• For special access seating, call the Box Office to book and please arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance for assistance.

Parking is available for a fee of $25 per performance - we encourage electronic payment. Parking attendant will have a handheld debit/credit terminal. Limited parking for people with disabilities is also available for the same fee. Additional parking is available on the streets (parking meters) and at Fort George ($).

The Spiegeltent entrance is via a gentle ramp and is wheelchair accessible. Wheelchair seating is available within the tent on a level wooden floor. Access to the booths can be reached by two steps up. Access to theatre chairs can be reached by one step down. Wheelchair-accessible washrooms are available inside the Festival Theatre, adjacent to Spiegeltent. For special access seating, call the Box Office to book and please arrive 30 minutes prior to the performance for assistance.