About Us

Amateur Theatre in Sarnia grew through the leadership of Herman Voaden, Dr. R.K.Stratford and D. Park Jamieson with the creation of the Drama Club of Sarnia in 1927. After many years known as the Sarnia Little Theatre the organization is now known as Theatre Sarnia and it is one of the oldest, continuously operating theatre groups in Canada and one ot the few that actually own their theatre . As of November 30, 2016 the Imperial Theatre became mortgage free - a testament to the vision of the original conversion steering  committee. Over the years, this group has performed in a Lutheran Church, the auditorium at Johnson Memorial School, the Sarnia Public Library auditorium, Sarnia Collegiate Institute auditorium, and the original Imperial Theatre, further North on Christina Street that was destroyed in the tornado that hit Sarnia in 1953.

Theatre Sarnia now has it's home at the Imperial Theatre in downtown Sarnia, which was officially opened on December 31, 1996. The theatre originally opened as the Capitol Theatre on New Year's Eve 1936 with the movie College Holiday starring Jack Benny. It closed 52 years later in 1988, and was left abandoned and derelict for 10 years and slated for demolition. In two short years, with the help of local Industry, a loan from the City of Sarnia...since repaid in full, and private donors, Theatre Sarnia members and many volunteers accomplished the transformation of the movie house to a live theatre venue. Now restored in all it's Art Deco elegance, the Imperial Theatre showcases Theatre Sarnia productions and also actively hosts a variety of professional and local community groups providing a wide spectrum of entertainment. The Imperial Theatre is noted for its' technical excellence and is recognised as a first class performance venue by local and national artists, together with friendly, helpful Technical and Administrative staff.

The Imperial Theatre is wholly owned and operated by Theatre Sarnia, a Not-for-Profit Charitable Corporation, under the governance of an elected Board of Directors. Over the years the group has hosted successful Theatre Festivals such as the Dominion Drama Festival, the Theatre Ontario Festival and the Western Ontario Drama League Theatre Festival and WODL Mini-Fest. The theatre group has won many awards and had their work nominated for recognition at these Festivals. Graduates of Theatre Sarnia have gone on to careers in various fields of the theatrical community and entertainment industry.

A glance at our coming events schedule will indicate the diverse nature of performances on the stage of the Imperial Theatre... from drama, comedy and musical theatre, from classical music, jazz and rock music... this theatre has it all!

The Imperial Theatre also houses the R. W. Lawton Gallery that hosts rotating displays by local Artists. The gallery provides an excellent meeting place before shows and during intermissions. Licensed bars are located in the Gallery on the main floor and in the Balcony lounge. Special care has been taken to apply the same Art Deco elegance that surrounds the Imperial to both bar areas. Indeed, as a nod to local heritage, the main floor Capitol bar is highlighted with letters from the original Capitol Theatre marquee and the balcony Lounge bar contains a curved section that was originally located at the Sarnia Armouries.

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