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Vancouver’s UBC Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

UBC Chan Centre of the Performing Arts

Vancouver’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC is home to the Telus Studio Theatre, Royal Bank Cinema and Chan Shun Concert Hall.

 

UBC’s Chan Centre

Built in 1997 and attracting audiences from across the Lower Mainland, the Chan Centre is the place to see performing arts at the University of British Columbia.

Vancouver’s Chan Centre is home to the 275-seat Telus Studio Theatre, 160-seat Royal Bank Cinema and the 1,185-seat Chan Shun Concert Hall. The facilities are famous for their design and acoustic qualities. Audiences and performers consider the attraction as one of the top art centres in North America.

The venue’s address is 6265 Crescent Road. It is just off NW Marine Drive at the University of British Columbia.

Chan Centre performances include opera, theatre, orchestras, live concerts and more. This includes both UBC groups and internationally renowned performers.

 

Chan Theatre Interior

 

History of the Chan Centre

UBC’s iconic theatre was made possible by donations from Caleb and Tom Chan. The brothers immigrated to Canada in the 1980s. They decided to contribute to their new community by funding the Chan Centre’s creation. 

The private donation that the brothers made was apparently the largest in Canadian history to a cultural institution at the time. UBC also received contributions from the BC Government, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and Telus.

About $25 million was put into the initial creation of the Chan Centre. Construction began in 1995 and finished a couple of years later. The facility opened officially in May of 1997. 

The theatre’s fame has increased throughout the years. Global icons such as David Suzuki and the Dalai Lama have made appearances at the Chan Centre. The building has also been featured on numerous TV shows due to UBC’s beautiful campus. It made a brief appearance in season one of Battlestar Galactica and has been in a few episodes of Legion as well.

 

Events at the Chan Centre

Lots of concerts and other events happen at the Chan Centre. The Vancouver Summer Festival, for example, holds some of its summer concerts there, as do a number of other festivals. The Chor Leoni Men’s Choir and other choral groups do too, as does Early Music Vancouver and the Pacific Baroque Orchestra.

Click Chan Centre Events to find out what’s showing at the Chan Theatre.

 

Chan Centre Lobby
The Lobby at the Chan Centre

 

Other Information

To learn more about the venue, visit the Chan Centre website.

Consider also visiting UBC’s great Museum of Anthropology or a stroll around the Nitobe Memorial Garden and UBC Botanical Garden if planning to take in a performance at the Chan Centre.

For a list of other performing arts facilities in the Lower Mainland, check out Vancouver Theatre Companies and Venues.