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Oak Bay: Then and Now -- The Oak Bay Theatre

The theatre was a hub for entertainment in the village for 50 years
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The Oak Bay Theatre

It was in 1936 that the municipality’s second movie theatre threw its doors open for the premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, starring James Cagney and Mickey Rooney.

The movie house, initially called the Little Theatre, but known to most simply as The Oak Bay – a nod to the colourful neon sign out front – operated for 50 years in the Castle Block, a Tudor-style building in the heart of Oak Bay Village.

The theatre was popular with area children for its Saturday matinees, and specialized in British films in its later years. Over the years, many Oak Bay girls worked their first job there, serving as usherettes, wearing crisp, red blazers.

The first purpose-designed movie house in Oak Bay, and in fact Victoria, was built up the road at 2013 Oak Bay Ave. in 1913.

The Avenue Theatre hosted silent movies and vaudeville acts, but closed when the Great Depression hit. It was converted to suites in 1943 and still stands as a residential building.

The neon sign with the blue background at The Oak Bay was restored in 2006 as an Oak Bay centennial legacy project and shines brightly today over a collection of retail shops.

– with thanks to the Oak Bay Archives

editor@oakbaynews.com