DVD: Toronto's First Family of Theatre

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The city of Toronto is a world-class theatre destination and much of its success over the last 50 years is owed to the Mirvish family. "Toronto's First Family of Theatre" examines how Ed, Anne and David Mirvish created a theatre empire that changed the cultural landscape of Toronto.

In 1948 Ed Mirvish opened Honest Ed’s, a retail store unlike anything that had been seen before. Ed’s over-the-top marketing approach established the store as a Toronto landmark. The success of Honest Ed’s provided the financial security to move into new business ventures, including the theatre business.

With the encouragement of his wife Anne, Ed purchased the aging Royal Alexandra Theatre in the early 1960s. The Royal Alex is one of the most revered theatre houses in North America. With limited knowledge of the theatre business, Ed applied the natural business sense that built Honest Ed’s to create a thriving theatre empire.

As the Royal Alex prospered, the Mirvish family theatre operation expanded. Ed’s son, David began working with his father and took the theatre business to a new level. Years later they built the state-of-the-art Princess of Wales Theatre. Today, David is working on building a multi-use project to expand and revitalize the Toronto neighborhood that is home to the Mirvish theatre empire. The ambitious plan is emblematic of a family who continues to look towards the future with plans to take Toronto in new directions.

Production Year: 2016. Runtime 30 minutes. Includes over 29 minutes of bonus footage.