Montreal's Centaur Theatre finally accessible after woman donates elevator in honour of husband

For the first time in 56 years, Montreal's oldest English-language theatre is accessible to all patrons. 

The Centaur Theatre, located in Old Montreal, has installed a street-level access elevator, which allows anyone with mobility issues, including those who use a wheelchair or a walker, to enter the building with ease.

It was made possible thanks to the generosity of Marisa Testa, an avid theatre-goer, who donated the lift in honour of her late husband. 

"I wanted to keep his memory alive, but I also wanted to do something good for society," Testa said.

Her husband, Tiziano Giacomini, died 22 years ago at the age of 44. She describes him as an "amazing man" and said they loved coming to the theatre together.

More than that, Testa said, "he loved to help people, and this helps people."

Testa said the elevator holds an even greater personal significance, as it also honours her brother, who spent the last five years of his life in a wheelchair. 

"It means even more that it is something that will help people with accessibility issues," she said.

The theatre — an iconic Quebec institution — is a heritage building, which means the five front steps, though challenging for some, could not be altered. 

Earlier this year, the federal and provincial governments announced a $6.2 million investment to help upgrade the theatre's infrastructure, including modifying the main entrance to improve accessibility.

Eda Holmes, the artistic and executive director of Centaur Theatre, says staff have been trying to find a solution for the front steps for a long time.  

"We had kind of an ersatz ramp situation that was a bit difficult, but really, we weren't accessible to everybody," she said. 

Since the elevator was installed in October, Holmes says it's been used before every single show. With the push of a button, a staff member greets patrons at the building's side door and escorts them onto the lift, which then takes them up to the theatre's main floor.

Holmes recalls a former board chair, who had been unable to access the theatre for the past three years, finally being able to enter the building again, "which was quite moving."