Living Arts Centre

The Living Arts Centre is a City of Mississauga arts facility in the downtown core near Square One.

About the venue

It contains three theatres plus a set of meeting and event rooms. An in-house catering service is available. Underground parking is accessed from Living Arts Drive and is free on weekday evenings after 6 p.m. and on weekends. The building is a short walk from the City Centre Transit Terminal. Two ground-level loading bays sit less than 50 feet from the stage.

On EventPlans.ca it is listed as a theatre and conference centre in Mississauga, at 4141 Living Arts Drive, Mississauga, ON L5B 4B8.

Event spaces

The venue lists these spaces. Capacities are the venue’s own figures and change with the layout you choose.

• Main Auditorium (formerly Hammerson Hall): 1,300 seats
• Studio Theatre (formerly RBC Theatre): up to 310 seats
• Screening Room (formerly Rogers Theatre): 109 seats
• Staging room: 60–300
• Mississauga room: 48–210
• Meeting Room West: 30–140
• Conference room: 19–70
• Small group room: 18–66
• Training room: 20–32
• Central meeting room: 12–18

Capacity

The venue publishes a maximum of 1,300 theatre style. Those are top figures for an empty room. A dance floor, a stage, a buffet or a photo booth each take space, so plan on fewer guests than the maximum once your layout is drawn.

A useful rule: a seated dinner at rounds of ten needs about 1 to 1.2 square metres per guest, a standing reception about 0.7, and theatre seating about 0.6, before you add a stage or dance floor. The venue capacity calculator does the arithmetic for your room.

Events it hosts

According to its own event pages, the venue hosts weddings, corporate events, conferences and meetings and private social events.

For timelines, budgets and checklists, start with the wedding planning hub, corporate holiday party hub, conference planning hub.

Questions to ask on your site visit

Bring these to your walk-through. Get the answers in writing before you sign.

• Is the stage, the lobby or both available, and is there a hold for rehearsals?
• Are house technicians required, and is labour charged by the hour?
• What is the fly system or rigging capacity over the stage?
• Can food and drink be served in the auditorium?
• How long is the load-in and load-out window?
• Are there union rules that affect your crew?

Planning entertainment here

A theatre already has the stage, lighting and sightlines a show needs. Confirm house crew requirements and the rehearsal schedule with the venue.

Send every performer’s technical needs to the venue before you book: floor space, ceiling height, power, sound and changing room.

Getting there

The venue’s information points to public transit nearby. The venue states that its event spaces are accessible. Check the venue website for directions, parking rates and accessible entrances, and send the details to guests with the invitation.

Official website: mississauga.ca/arts-and-culture/locations/living-arts-centre/rent-this-venue