TO Live George Weston Recital Hall Meridian Arts Centre User Guide
- June 16, 2024
- TO Live
Table of Contents
TO Live George Weston Recital Hall Meridian Arts Centre
Important Information
We are looking forward to having you join us at the George Weston Recital Hall at Meridian Arts Centre. This document will help prepare you for your visit. It includes directions to our theatre and a step-by-step guide to what happens before the show to help you navigate the building.
Do you need more information, or would you like to schedule a visit to get more comfortable in the space?
Contact Nathan Sartore, Programming & Accessibility Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 416-368-6161 ext. 7209 or
647-616-0446
At a glance
George Weston Recital Hall
- The George Weston Recital Hall can seat up to 1,036 people. The orchestra seats 636 people, the dress circle seats 265 people, and the loges seat 135 people.
- There are 12 accessible seats on the orchestra level of the George Weston Recital Hall, and four accessible seats on the dress circle level of the George Weston Recital Hall.
Getting here
- The George Weston Recital Hall is one of four theatres located in Meridian Arts Centre, located at the corner of Beecroft Road and North York Boulevard. The address is 5040 Yonge Street East, Toronto, Ontario.
- Meridian Arts Centre is accessible by vehicle, bicycle, bus, subway, GO Transit, taxi or rideshare, and Wheel-Trans.
- Meridian Arts Centre is approximately 400 metres southwest of North York Centre Station.
- Meridian Arts Centre does not have parking on site.
- Limited metered street parking is available in the surrounding streets. Public parking can be found at several lots in the local area.
Before the show
- You will need a ticket for an event when you are visiting the George Weston Recital Hall. You can pre-purchase your tickets or buy tickets at the box office.
- You will find two refreshment counters each on both levels of Meridian Arts Centre.
- You will find the patron services and coat check desk in the lower main lobby where you can pick up an assistive listening device or audio description device (when offered).
- You will also find an elevator in the lower main lobby that can take you up one level to the upper main lobby.
- From the lower main lobby, you can enter into the orchestra level of the theatre. From the upper main lobby, you can enter into the dress circle level and the loges of the theatre.
Washrooms
- There are several washrooms on all both levels of Meridian Arts Centre.
- On the east side of the lower main lobby, there is an all-gender washroom.
- On the west side of the lower main lobby, there are family washrooms and a universal washroom.
- On the east side of the upper main lobby, there is an all-gender washroom.
- On the west side of the upper main lobby, there are family washrooms.
Getting here
The George Weston Recital Hall is one of four theatres located in Meridian
Arts Centre, located at the corner of Beecroft Road and North York Boulevard.
The address is 5040 Yonge Street East, Toronto, Ontario.
This picture shows our venue’s location with a red mark on a map of the
surrounding area.
Bicycle
There are numerous bike racks on the northside of our venue on North York
Boulevard. Please make sure you bring a lock to secure your bike.
Bus
The closest accessible bus routes are 84 Sheppard West, 85 Sheppard East, 97
Yonge, and 98 Willowdale-Senlac.
If you are taking the westbound 84 Sheppard West or westbound 98 Willowdale- Senlac bus, get off on Sheppard A venue West at Beecroft Road and make your way north along Beecroft Road. Turn right onto North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your right. It is approximately 700 metres from the bus stop.
If you are taking the eastbound 84 Sheppard West, 85 Sheppard East, or eastbound 98 Willowdale-Senlac bus, get off at Sheppard-Yonge Station and make your way north along Yonge Street. Turn left onto North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your left. It is approximately 750 metres from the bus stop.
If you are taking the northbound 97 Yonge Bus, get off on Yonge Street at Elmwood Avenue and make your way west along North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your left. It is approximately 250 metres from the bus stop.
If you are taking the southbound 97 Yonge Bus, get off on Yonge Street at North York Boulevard and make your way west along North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your left. It is approximately 250 metres from the bus stop.
Subway
North York Centre Station and Sheppard-Yonge Station are the closest subway
stations.\ To get to the theatre from North York
Centre Station, make your way south along Yonge Street, then turn right onto North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your left. It is approximately 400 metres from the subway station.
To get to the theatre from Sheppard-Yonge Station, make your way north along Yonge Street, then turn left onto North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your left. It is approximately 750 metres from the subway station.
GO Transit
Finch Station is the closest GO Transit station. To get to the theatre from
Finch Station, make your way south along Yonge Street, then turn right onto
North York Boulevard. The theatre will be on your left. It is approximately 1.
9 kilometres from Finch Station.
Taxi or rideshare
There is enough room for taxis and rideshare vehicles to make pickups and
drop-offs in the driveway right in front of the main entrance. Please let a
staff member know if you need assistance calling a taxi.
Wheel-Trans
There is enough room for Wheel-Trans to make pickups and drop-offs in the
driveway right in front of the main entrance.
Parking
Meridian Arts Centre does not have parking on site. Limited metered street
parking is available in the surrounding streets, including on Yonge Street,
Beecroft Road, and other nearby streets. Public parking can be found at
several lots in the local area, including at:
- 180 Beecroft Road
- 95 Beecroft Road
- 5000 Yonge Street (entrance/exit off a side street from North York Boulevard)
- North York Centre, 5160 Yonge Street (entrance/exit off Park Home Avenue)
- Empress Walk, 5095 Yonge Street (entrance/exit off Hillcrest Avenue)
This picture shows a map with the public parking lots in the surrounding area with our venue’s location marked with a red pin.
Before the show
Main entrance
The main entrance to our building is on North York Boulevard between Yonge
Street and Beecroft Road. It has three sets of double doors.
This picture shows the main entrance to our building.
The first door at the far left is an automated door, and the push-to-open
button is to the left of this door on a post. If you have any issues with the
automated door, or if you need any assistance, our staff members would be
happy to help.
This picture shows the automated door and push-to-open button for our
building.
Box office
When you enter through the main entrance, the box office will be on your
right. There is an accessible box office counter at the far left of the box
office.
You will need a ticket for an event when you are visiting the George Weston
Recital Hall. If you did not pre-purchase your tickets, you can buy tickets at
the box office. If you pre-purchased your tickets, you may have received your
tickets electronically by email. If you are picking up pre purchased tickets
at the box office, the box office will ask you for a piece of photo
identification and the credit card used to make the purchase.
This picture shows the Meridian Arts Centre box office.
Lower main lobby
When you enter through the main entrance, the lower main lobby will be
straight ahead, accessible by five stairs or a ramp. The lower main lobby is a
large open and airy space that features two staircases leading up to the upper
main lobby.
This picture shows the Meridian Arts Centre lower main lobby.
In the lower main lobby, you will find two refreshment counters in the centre
and on the west end of the lobby where you can purchase snacks and beverages.
This picture shows one of the refreshment counters in the lower main
lobby.
You will also find the patron services and coat check desk in the lower main
lobby where you can pick up an assistive listening device. For performances
where audio description is being offered, you can also pick up your pre-
reserved audio description device from this desk. There is no charge to use
these devices, but a piece of identification must be left as a deposit.
This picture shows the patron services and coat desk in the lower main
lobby.
If you have any questions or concerns during your visit at Meridian Arts
Centre, the patron services and box office staff members would be happy to
help. You can identify our team members by their uniform, specifically their
coloured polo shirt with the TO Live logo.
This picture shows the beige, black, red, pink, and grey TO Live polo
shirts worn by Meridian Arts Centre patron services and box office staff.
You may hear bells or an announcement in the lobby when the show is about to
begin. These lobby bells are different than fire or emergency alarms. The
bells are played to let the audience know that they should make their way to
their seats.
From the lower main lobby, you can enter into the orchestra level of the
theatre. There are six sets of doors, all on the west side of the lobby: one
for portal SO, one for portal 51, one for portal 52, one for portal 53, one
for portal 54, and one for portal 55. You can find your portal number on your
ticket.
This picture shows the set of doors for portal 50 into the theatre from the
lower main lobby.
You will also find an elevator in the main lower lobby which can take you up
one level to the upper main lobby. The elevator door opening is 48 inches wide
by 84 inches high, and the inside of the elevator is 58 inches wide by 105
inches deep.
This picture shows the elevator in the main lower lobby.
Upper main lobby
You can get to the upper main lobby by taking the stairs or elevator up one
floor from the lower main lobby. If using stairs, there are 35 steps up to the
upper main lobby from the lower main lobby.
This picture shows a set of stairs leading up to the upper main lobby from
the lower main lobby.
The upper main lobby is another lobby space that is on the upper level of
Meridian Arts Centre.
This picture shows the Meridian Arts Centre upper main lobby.
You will also find two refreshment counters in the centre and on the west end of the upper main lobby where you can purchase snacks and beverages.
From the upper main lobby, you can enter into the dress circle level and the
loges of the theatre.
There are twelve sets of doors, all on the west side of the lobby: one for
portal 60, one for portal 61, one for portal 62, one for portal 63, one for
portal 64, one for portal 65, one for portal 66, one for portal 67, one for
portal 68, one for portal 69, one for portal 70, and one for portal 71. You
can find your portal number on your ticket.
This picture shows the set of doors for portal 71 into the theatre from the
upper main lobby.
George Weston Recital Hall
The George Weston Recital Hall can seat up to 1,036 people. The orchestra
seats 636 people, the dress circle seats 265 people, and the loges seat 135
people. Seating is assigned in the theatre, and your ticket will tell you your
row and seat number. If you require assistance locating your seat, let a
theatre attendant know and they will take you right to it.
This picture shows the George Weston Recital Hall from the stage.
This picture shows the George Weston Recital Hall stage from the centre of the
dress circle.
There are 12 accessible seats on the orchestra level of the George Weston
Recital Hall. Seats 164 to 169 in row WCR of the left parterre, seats 1 to 3
in row A of the right parterre, and seats 1 to 3 in row B of the right
parterre are designated as accessible seats.
This picture shows the George Weston Recital Hall stage from accessible
seats 164 to 169 in row WCR of the left parterre.
There are four accessible seats on the dress circle level of the George Weston
Recital Hall. Seats 222 to 223 and 239 to 240 in row WCR are designated as
accessible seats.
This picture shows the George Weston Recital Hall stage from accessible
seats 222 to 223 in row WCR.
During a relaxed performance
If you are coming to the George Weston Recital Hall for a relaxed performance, there will be a short introduction before the show starts telling you a little bit about the show, the characters, and if there is anything that may be surprising during the performance. You can also expect reduced sound and lighting effects. The house lights will be on at a low level so that you can enter and exit safely at any time. Audience members are free to sit or stand, make noise as they need to, or use fidgets as needed. We want you to be comfortable.
Quiet area
If you need to leave the auditorium during the show for any reason, you are welcome to sit in any of the lobby spaces or either of the galleries. You may still hear some of the sounds from the show while you are in the lobby or gallery, but it will be quieter than inside the theatre space. The Studio Theatre lobby and the upper gallery are the quietest areas during a performance.
Washrooms
There are a number of washrooms on both levels of Meridian Arts Centre. On the
east side of the lower main lobby, there is an all-gender washroom that
includes two family washrooms.
This picture shows the all-gender washroom on the east side of the lower
main lobby.
On the west side of the lower main lobby, there are men’s and women’s
washrooms that are both equipped with accessible stalls, as well as five
family washrooms and one universal washroom.
This picture shows the entrance to the women’s, family, and universal
washrooms on the west side of the lower main lobby.
This picture shows the universal washroom on the west side of the lower main
lobby.
On the east side of the upper main lobby, there is an all-gender washroom that
includes three accessible stalls, one family washroom, and one universal
washroom.
This picture shows the all-gender washroom on the east side of the upper
main lobby.
On the west side of the upper main lobby, there are men’s and women’s
washrooms that are both equipped with accessible stalls, as well as family
washrooms.
This picture shows the entrance to the men’s and family washrooms on the
west side of the upper main lobby.
This picture shows the men’s washroom on the west side of the upper main
lobby.
Customers Support
Get in touch
If you have any questions or concerns about the venue guide or planning your
visit to the George Weston Recital Hall, please reach out.
Nathan Sartore
Programming & Accessibility Coordinator
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 416-368-6161 ext. 7209 or
647-616-0446
If you want to tell us about your time at the George Weston Recital Hall or
have feedback that you would like to share, you can send us an email, call us,
or write to us.
Our email address is:
[email protected]
Our phone number is:
416-368-6161
Our address is:
1 Front Street East
Toronto, Ontario
MSE 1B2
Thank you for coming to the George Weston Recital Hall.
