Main Stage, Toronto Centre for the Arts, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Main Stage Theatre is one of three theaters within the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The Centre, which is one of the largest arts facilities in North America, houses three performance venues (George Weston Recital Hall, Main Stage Theatre, Studio Theatre), rehearsal spaces, and an art gallery. It opened to rave reviews in October 1993.

Seating 1816 patrons, the room maintains excellent sightlines and visual intimacy from every seat in the house. Sound reflections from the underside of the side tiers, to the main floor, provide sound clarity and strength, and add to the acoustical intimacy. The Main Stage Theatre is primarily designed to support Broadway-type musicals. While not as acoustically "live" as the Weston Recital Hall, the room contains a system of variable natural acoustics that make the room equally suited for ballet, opera, and operetta, as well as amplified rock, pop, and jazz music events, musical theater productions and multi-media events.

The building shell is constructed to eliminate noise from outdoors and adjacent areas. Toronto Centre's ventilation system, an adaptation of a European concept, was the first of its kind in North America. The air is supplied through the base of each seat via a system of acoustically lined plenums and silent air terminals. The ventilation system design provides comfort with no perceptible noise. This silence provides a very wide dynamic range for the room, and allows artists to achieve their best performances.

Artec provided Design and Planning services covering Auditorium Acoustics Design and Background Noise and Vibration Control consulting for the Centre. Toronto Centre for the Arts' architect was Zeidler Partnership Architects.