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The Alexander Street Chamber Theatre

Occupying company

Buddies in Bad Times Theatre

Address

12 Alexander St.
Toronto, Ontario
M4Y 1B4

12 Alexander Street has fulfilled many functions.  Built at the turn of the century, it was originally a commercial space that, over time, has served as a mechanic’s garage, a hardware store, a car showroom, and a rehearsal hall. It has also sat vacant on more than one occasion. Since the 1960’s, it has served as an alternative performance venue, giving birth of some of Toronto’s most important independent theatre.

For nearly twenty years, 12 Alexander Street was home to the venerable Toronto Workshop Productions (TWP), one of Toronto’s first experimental theatre troupes. The company completed renovations of the building in December 1967, turning it into an intimate theatre with a capacity of 285 seats. Tragically, 12 Alexander Street was seriously damaged by fire in 1974. Starting in the back of the theatre, TWP’s dressing rooms, costume shop, stage, and lighting equipment were destroyed. Although only a lease-holder on the property, TWP raised the funds to pay for repairs to the building and equipment.

In 1977, TWP’s lease on 12 Alexander expired and the future of the building as a theatre was in jeopardy. However, a public relations campaign led by the company persuaded the City of Toronto to disallow commercial development. The Ontario Government backed an interest-free mortgage, allowing the company to buy the space.

In 1988, TWP disbanded and for the next 3 years, 12 Alexander Street lay dormant and the City of Toronto took possession of the property. In 1991, the municipal government announced a competition for theatre companies to gain a 40-year lease of the building. Buddies in Bad Times Theatre put together a proposal in which a collective of local alternative theatre companies (including DNA Theatre, The Augusta Company, Platform Nine Theatre, and Native Earth Performing Arts) would share the space, with Buddies as the primary resident. In the fall of 1992, the collective was awarded the space, but by that point the other companies had moved on and Buddies became the sole resident of 12 Alexander Street. After an extensive fundraising campaign that saw the community come together to create a permanent home for queer theatre in Toronto, 12 Alexander Street reopened as the new home of Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in 1994. Since then, Buddies has gone on to gain a reputation as the world’s largest and longest-running queer theatre and is an important aspect of what makes Toronto one of the most liberal and accepting cities in the world.


Recent and Upcoming Productions

The Tempest January 18th, 2024 – January 28th, 2024
Angels in America November 23rd, 2023 – December 17th, 2023
Bremen Town October 19th, 2023 – October 29th, 2023
Body So Fluorescent April 13th, 2023 – April 23rd, 2023
The Man That Got Away (A Special Appearance) December 10th, 2022 – December 18th, 2022
Zom-Fam November 3rd, 2022 – November 6th, 2022
The First Stone October 6th, 2022 – October 23rd, 2022
Box 4901 February 27th, 2020 – March 8th, 2020
Pass Over October 22nd, 2019 – November 10th, 2019
Lilies; Or, The Revival of a Romantic Drama May 4th, 2019 – May 26th, 2019
Shove It Down My Throat March 30th, 2019 – April 14th, 2019
School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls March 5th, 2019 – March 24th, 2019
Scavenger’s Daughter January 15th, 2019 – January 27th, 2019
Now You See Her October 16th, 2018 – October 4th, 2018
Gertrude and Alice September 15th, 2018 – October 7th, 2018
LULU v.7 // aspects of a femme fatale May 1st, 2018 – May 20th, 2018
Mouthpiece April 11th, 2018 – April 22nd, 2018
Calpurnia January 14th, 2018 – February 4th, 2018
Unholy November 23rd, 2017 – December 10th, 2017
Kiinalik: These Sharp Tools October 24th, 2017 – November 5th, 2017
Our Town March 26th, 2017 – April 2nd, 2017
Blood Weddings / Bodas de Sangre March 4th, 2017 – March 19th, 2017
Unholy January 15th, 2017 – February 5th, 2017
Black Boys November 19th, 2016 – December 11th, 2016
Mouthpiece October 20th, 2016 – November 6th, 2016
Quiver October 20th, 2016 – November 6th, 2016
Blind Date September 20th, 2016 – October 9th, 2016
Letters to the Universe June 29th, 2016
The Terrible Parents April 6th, 2016 – April 17th, 2016
No Strings (Attached) March 16th, 2016 – March 26th, 2016
Gertrude and Alice March 5th, 2016 – March 27th, 2016
A Kitchen Sink Drama February 17th, 2016 – February 20th, 2016
The Gay Heritage Project January 6th, 2016 – January 31st, 2016
The Other Side of the Cubicle October 21st, 2015 – October 25th, 2015
The 20th of November September 12th, 2015 – October 4th, 2015
Durango May 16th, 2015 – May 31st, 2015
Tom at the Farm April 11th, 2015 – May 10th, 2015
Blood Wedding / Bodas de Sangre March 11th, 2015 – March 29th, 2015
Her2 January 13th, 2015 – February 1st, 2015
The Stronger Variations November 27th, 2014 – December 7th, 2014
Spin November 19th, 2014 – November 23rd, 2014
Brotherhood: The Hip Hopera October 10th, 2014 – October 25th, 2014
The Femme Playlist October 10th, 2014 – October 25th, 2014
Freda and Jem’s Best of the Week September 13th, 2014 – October 5th, 2014
Queer Bathroom Stories May 31st, 2014 – June 15th, 2014
Hackerlove April 30th, 2014 – May 11th, 2014
Me Talking to Myself in the Future March 26th, 2014 – April 6th, 2014
The Wanderers March 1st, 2014 – March 23rd, 2014
Manon, Sandra and the Virgin Mary January 11th, 2014 – February 2nd, 2014
The Gay Heritage Project November 16th, 2013 – December 8th, 2013
Dinner at Seven-Thirty October 12th, 2013 – October 20th, 2013
PIG September 14th, 2013 – September 6th, 2013
A Few Brittle Leaves April 24th, 2013 – May 5th, 2013
Arigato, Tokyo March 21st, 2013 – April 14th, 2013
The Penelopiad January 8th, 2013 – February 10th, 2013
The Normal Heart October 19th, 2012 – November 18th, 2012
Obaaberima September 15th, 2012 – October 7th, 2012
Dancing Queen April 28th, 2012 – April 29th, 2012
Bliss March 27th, 2012 – April 8th, 2012
Free as Injuns March 1st, 2012 – March 18th, 2012
The Penelopiad January 10th, 2012 – January 29th, 2012
Hallaj November 18th, 2011 – December 4th, 2011
The Normal Heart October 14th, 2011 – November 6th, 2011
The Maids September 17th, 2011 – October 9th, 2011
Tightrope May 26th, 2011 – June 5th, 2011
Agokwe May 5th, 2011 – May 15th, 2011
The Situationists April 14th, 2011 – April 24th, 2011
Tombs of the Vanishing Indian March 10th, 2011 – March 27th, 2011
The Bird January 8th, 2011 – January 30th, 2011
The Silicone Diaries November 25th, 2010 – December 11th, 2010
Blasted September 28th, 2010 – October 17th, 2010
Shudder April 29th, 2010 – May 9th, 2014
Reconciliation April 14th, 2010 – April 25th, 2010
Breakfast March 19th, 2010 – April 4th, 2010
Real Live Girl March 5th, 2010
La Comunión January 12th, 2010 – July 31st, 2010
The Salon Automaton December 1st, 2009 – December 12th, 2009
No Exit November 11th, 2009 – November 21st, 2009
Neon Nightz September 23rd, 2009 – October 10th, 2009
Eternal Hydra May 17th, 2009 – May 31st, 2009
I Have AIDS! April 22nd, 2009 – May 3rd, 2009
Dedicated to the Revolutions March 31st, 2009 – April 12th, 2009
/Dance/Songs/ February 18th, 2009 – February 22nd, 2009
Another City Another Life February 18th, 2009 – February 22nd, 2009
Leni Riefenstahl vs the 20th Century February 18th, 2009 – February 22nd, 2009
A Very Polite Genocide or the Girl Who Fell to Earth December 6th, 2008 – December 21st, 2008
Hamlet November 20th, 2008 – November 23rd, 2008
[boxhead] October 21st, 2008 – November 2nd, 2008
Agokwe September 23rd, 2008 – October 12th, 2008
The Eco Show May 13th, 2008 – June 1st, 2008
Happy: A Very Gay Little Musical April 16th, 2008 – April 27th, 2008
Death of a Chief March 6th, 2008 – March 16th, 2008
Who’s Your Dada? January 23rd, 2008 – February 9th, 2008
Art Fag January 4th, 2008 – January 13th, 2008
Will the Real J.T. LeRoy Please Stand Up? April 11th, 2007 – April 22nd, 2007
House March 7th, 2007 – April 1st, 2007
Monster January 9th, 2007 – February 4th, 2007
Insomnia November 7th, 2006 – November 26th, 2006
Here Lies Henry September 19th, 2006 – October 15th, 2006
A Beautiful View May 9th, 2006 – May 21st, 2006
Bad Acting Teachers April 26th, 2006 – May 7th, 2006

Current Staff

Suzie Balogh Venue Technician