Varscona Theatre
Coordinates: 53°31′8″N 113°29′47″W / 53.51889°N 113.49639°W The Varscona Theatre (10329 - 83 Avenue) is a live performance venue in the Old Strathcona neighborhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. A former firehall, since 1994 the Varscona has been operated by a consortium of small theatre companies, including Rapid Fire Theatre, Shadow Theatre and Teatro la Quindicina (collectively known as The Varscona Theatre Alliance). The theatre is also the home of the nationally renowned live improvised soap opera Die-Nasty and the improv variety show Oh Susanna!. In addition, the Varscona has hosted tapings of The Irrelevant Show, a national sketch comedy program aired on CBC Radio. The Varscona's name is an homage to the original Varscona Theatre, a 1940s art deco movie theatre formerly located at the intersection of Whyte Avenue and 109 Street and demolished in 1987.
Prior to being renamed as The Varscona Theatre, the current building was called the Chinook Theatre, and served as the headquarters of Chinook Children's Theatre and the Edmonton International Fringe Festival from 1983-1993. It is still used as a venue during the Fringe festival every August.
In 2012 the theatre was threatened with demolition,[1] but in May 2013 the provincial government of Alberta announced a $2 million grant for renovation of the facility.[2]
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