Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts
The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is a home for the creative arts at Queen’s and a hub of vibrant artistic study, creation and exhibition in our community. The learning experiences shaped by the Isabel will enhance our students’ skills and abilities for their work in the arts and beyond.
Situated on the shores of Lake Ontario, the Centre brings together exceptional spaces and programs with a captivating sense of place to create a dynamic venue for our students and community to learn, discover, think, do, and experience, together.
We acknowledge that the land on which we gather at the Isabel is the traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee Peoples.
Key Features
The Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts is an 90,000-square-foot world-class facility built to create exceptional experiences for our students and audiences alike.
Wood
The original pine, hemlock and spruce floors found in the old brewery building that forms the heart of the Isabel were removed during the initial construction. Placed in storage during construction, this old-growth, heritage wood was later re-milled and used as a finish in the lobby of the new building.
Glass
To take advantage of the lakeside vistas, the glass used in the lobby windows of the Isabel is low in iron, which provides for much clearer views. Lobby lighting is directed upwards and is reflected down off the steel and stretched vinyl ceiling, which creates a softer light and prevents glare off the windows from obscuring the view.
Steel
The first time he saw the site, n45 architect Robert Matthews remembers the dazzling effect of whitecaps shimmering on the water. He chose the textured steel used to clad the upper reaches of the Isabel to mimic the effect of the sun reflecting on waves
Performance Hall
- 566-seat capacity
- A building within a building: features two-foot thick concrete walls that entirely muffle outside sound state-of-the-art ventilation: fresh air is pumped into the hall via outsized ducts to reduce rumblings, it passes through thick walls in a canvas conduit to deaden vibration and then silently and gently enters the hall through grills in the floor beneath each seat
- Fine-tuned walls: the curved walls cut echo and give the hall its lively acoustic effects. The smaller pieces of wood that jut out in slight angles are the equivalent of fine tuning
- New York-based Arup designed the acoustics using their Virtual SoundLab technology, which allows the environment of a space to be listened to before it is even built. Retractable motorized acoustic drapes allow the performance hall sound to be customized even further.
Power Corporation of Canada Studio Theatre
- A 100-seat black box studio theatre
- Completely flexible space designed to provide the theatrical equivalent of a blank slate
- Nothing, except the stage manager’s booth at one end, is permanent
- The aluminum tubing that crisscrosses the ceiling is used for mounting stage lights that can be angled in any direction
- Three sets of brackets run horizontally around the room at different heights. Panels can be slotted into these to create raised areas for audience seating or multi-level stages
- Stages can be created using modular units that allow for almost any configuration
The Gordon Vogt Film Screening Room
- 92-seat capacity
- The steeply raked seats ensure every member of the audience an unimpeded view of the screen
- Multiple speakers guarantee every audience member the same acoustic experience
- The projection booth features a state-of-the-art digital projector, actually a sophisticated computer that must be kept in a dust-free environment and at a carefully monitored temperature
Principal Emerita Karen Hitchcock Rehearsal Hall
- Designed by Arup to exactly mimic the acoustics of the performance hall
- Allows musicians to practice in the rehearsal hall and move into the performance hall seamlessly, avoiding surprises