Isabel Bader Theatre

I’ve never been to an event at this theatre but my dance group has rented it out twice in the past several years for our annual show.
The lobby layout is fine and the service we received was friendly if not very enthusiastic. The change rooms are tiny and located far away from the stage up several flights of stairs making it difficult to run back and forth if you need to do a lot of costume changes (which we do) on tired legs. The backstage is also something of a maze and isn’t marked very clearly. The green room has some basic amenities, such as a microwave, sink and openable window but it is even farther from the stage than the change rooms, up 2 floors. At least this year the ventilation was working, the last time we rented the venue there was no circulation whatsoever (and the change rooms have no windows) and the mirror in one change room was fogged up like 5 people had taken a hot shower in there. We weren’t offered any sort of compensation for the problem.
The parking is a huge issue, as in there isn’t any. For a theatre with a capacity of 500 this is not good. There is street parking on Charles St. for $ 3/​hour until 9pm — if you can snag one. There are some hidden parking places belonging to the various university residences and buildings in the area but with all the one-​way streets and traffic downtown it is frustrating for drivers to find a spot.
Overall it is not a good venue for a medium to large scale dance show where the attendees will be driving in.

Cool venue. Just a two subway ride up here.

The Bader has showcased itself to be a versatile venue in that it has been a part of various festivals and I take my hat off to whomever agrees to make this a lot more than just a university theatre. I’ve been here for Nuit Blanche, Hot Docs and tiff and each time the Bader has offered me good times. Not only are their seats great, they have a good capacity so if ever you find yourself in the rush line for a movie, you have a decent shot at getting in, staff are always friendly and it’s a pretty easy to navigate theatre, washrooms are a bit of a hassle to get to though. If you are required to line up outside, pray it does not rain but other than that it’s a great spot to line up too as you’re in a fairly quiet street with some grassy areas you can nicely stretch out on.
Their shallow row-​ed balcony offer good views of the stage as well and overall it’s a very clean and pretty theatre and I highly recommend it to anyone that would entertain the thoughts of spending an evening here or who’s ballin’ enough to rent the space out for themselves. Close proximity to the Museum subway stop is also a big plus.

Bader is a solid venue! I’ve been only a handful of times during film festivals, but each time has been a great experience.
It’s a lovely building with very modern/​clean design, and the three levels seating spreads out the flow of crowds filing in for screenings pretty well. Seating is comfortable (though it can be a squeeze getting in and out of full rows at times!) and the sloping of rows is enough that you won’t have an obstructed view.
Audio and video are excellent quality, and the sound for introductions (with or even without microphones) is quite good. I have only ever been to screenings and been seated on the floor level, so I can only assume that all of the above is true for the upper levels as well.
Washrooms are all the way in the basement level, but there are plenty of stalls and i’ve never seen a lineup. No concession stand, being just a simple venue — I think it’d be great to at least have a bottled water vending machine somewhere though, watching movies is thirsty work! There’s a nice lobby area for people to loiter, leaving enough space for people heading in/​out of the venue.
If you have an option of seeing a festival screening at the Bader, I recommend it!

I went to this theater to attend a movie that was part if the Inside Out Festival. It is a lovely medium sized space. Seats are comfortable and as Connie mentioned, there are nice side seats too. The architecture is simple but warm looking — better than most modern theater spaces. And the speakers and the acoustics were great. Screen could be a bit larger given the size of the proscenium it sits on, but that is a minor quibble.

I go to a lot of movies and lectures alone. And though I realize how anti-​social and loser-​ish that sounds, let me explain: seeing movies/​lectures is my alternative to reading. For real.
At the Bader, however, it seems like this is encouraged. Awesome. Single seats along the 1^st and 2^nd floor balconies? Angled towards the stage? Comfortable, too? See, I told you: awesome.
And because of the ample space around these seats, I get to spread my belongings all over the place and sprawl out without annoying other patrons. Ah, just like home.
Now, if they rented out pajamas, this would be the perfect movie/​lecture-​going experience. Take note, Bader.

The Bader theatre is one of my favourite spaces at U of T, in spite of its shiny, glossy newness. Maybe it’s for sentimental reasons. This was where my first university lecture (and entire class) took place, as well as where I got the closest ever to my lifelong object of adoration, one Mr. Eddie Vedder– at a Fim Festival première where he played a short set. ZOMG. Phil Donahue was there, too! @_@
Yes, now that’s a diverse offering. I think it’s a really great, comfy venue to sit for a lecture, and its crimson, velvet seats are a great place to bring a little red carpet to your education. It helped that the first prof in question was one of the more dynamic and loved speakers I was taught by, and really utilized the space of the stage (that last part was a joke, it was a history lecture, dudes– albeit a riveting one).
My sister once got within 3 feet of Bono here and I worked at the Idea City Conference twice where I sold books and got to eat some excellent free food and sit in the massage chair. That, and the bathrooms are very nice. If you happen to be walking around Victoria College and need one, well, don’t tell them I told you.