LAYOUT

Seat Count:  922

• The orchestra is comprised of 20 centre rows, from rows D to X.
• Orchestra seating begins with Row D because the orchestra pit extends out over the space that would be rows A to C without it.
• The orchestra ring is comprised of five elevated rows at the rear of the orchestra and two rows along each side, which have non-fixed seats.
• Note that unlike most theatres, where the double letter rows (AA, BB, etc.) are the orchestra rows closest to the stage, in the Four Seasons Centre the double letter rows are in the orchestra ring, at the rear and sides of the theatre. Rows AA and BB on the sides have non-fixed, movable chairs.
• Wheelchair seating is available.

SEATING NOTES

• Row’s J and K in the centre are considered the prime seating rows in the orchestra.
• Row J on the orchestra sides is open to a cross aisle. The advantage of these seats is that there is no one directly ahead to potentially block your view, legroom is open and you have first access to the exit.
• The NBC designates the six seats closest to the stage in Row AA on the orchestra ring sides as having a partial view. The partial view is offset by a substantially reduced price. If you go for one of these seats, try for the one farthest from the stage.

READER REVIEWS

“Orchestra Ring, Row AA, Seat 113. The Nutcracker. I enjoyed the view from this seat. I like that the orchestra ring is raised up so I don’t have to worry about peaking over or around any one.“

“Although it is large, the bar on the main level bar is always the busiest at intermission. You can go to the bar on the third floor to get a drink, and the washrooms on that level are also less crowded.”

LAYOUT

Seat count: 128

• The grand ring is comprised of 21 boxes and is generally considered the prime viewing location in the theatre, with the Royal Box (N) located in the centre back.
• Boxes have 2, 6, 8 or 12 assigned, non-fixed seats in either one, two or three rows. There are several wheelchair-accessible boxes.

SEATING NOTES

• The NBC designates the six seats closest to the stage on each side, in boxes B and X, as having a partial view. The partial view is offset by a substantially reduced price. If you go for one of these seats, try for the one farthest from the stage.

READER REVIEWS

“Box U, Row A, Seat 246. Nijinsky (NBC). This is definitely the perfect level to view a ballet from and I appreciated sitting in a separate, movable chair. The right rear corner of the stage was blocked from my view but it did not affect my enjoyment of the ballet. Boxes are generally among the most expensive seats in the house. If you can get a deal on this seat, perhaps through a subscriber or Dancebreak discount, this seat provides excellent value for money. If not, I’m not sure it’s worth the extra cost over, say, a seat in a comparable location one level higher, in Ring 3.”

LAYOUT

Seat count: 300

• Ring 3 is composed of five central rows of seating and two rows along each side. The side rows, A and B, feature non-fixed seating.
• Standing room locations are available at the back of the central seating area (row F). Tickets are sold on the day of the performance when the Four Seasons Centre box office opens.
• Wheelchair seating is available.

SEATING NOTES

• The six Row A seats closest to the stage on each side are designated as having a partial view by the NBC, and are therefore usually among the cheapest in the house. If you have a choice, take the seat farthest from the stage.
• The remaining seats in Row A on the sides of Ring 3, closer to the centre of the theatre, are sold in one of the lowest price ranges. The back corner of the stage nearest each side is blocked from view, but not enough to impact enjoyment of the ballet.  We Loons feel these seats offer an excellent view for the cost.
• Standing room locations offer great value for money if you’re up to standing through an entire performance.

READER REVIEWS

“Row A, Seat 313. (NBC)  I really enjoy sitting in this seat on the side. Your head is turned slightly to the side, looking down on the stage, and the rear corner of the left side of the stage is blocked from view. The trade-off, however, is being close enough to pick out the individual dancers and see their facial expressions. Also, I love that there is no one beside me and I feel that, with the individual, movable chairs, there is somewhat more room for my belongings. Probably not for everyone, but for me this seat provides great value for money.”

“Row B, Seat 349. (NBC) I had an excellent view of the ballet from this seat. In fact, I’ve sat in many different rows and locations in Ring 3 and always had a good view. The rows are well raked and I’ve never had a problem seeing over the people ahead of me.”

“Standing Room. Row F, Seat 338. Onegin (NBC). If you don’t mind standing for the entire show, day-of standing room tickets are the most affordable way to attend a ballet performance and offer a great view of the stage from the back of Ring 3. Standing Room has a rail you can lean on during the performance, although the leaning rail may be too high for shorter patrons to use comfortably. Standing room can also get quite warm, so I’d advise dressing to keep cool, or in layers that you can remove if you get hot. I had an excellent centre view of the stage for this performance.”

“I have sat in almost every level in this theatre, including the orchestra and grand ring. Ring 3 has great views at a good price and is my favourite sitting area.”

“I got the standing room tickets. They are an amazing price and still have a great view.”

LAYOUT
Seat count: 290

• Ring 4 is composed of five central rows of seating and two rows along each side. The side rows, A and B, feature non-fixed seating.
• Standing room locations are available at the back of the central seating area (row F). Tickets are sold on the day of the performance when the Four Seasons Centre box office opens.
• Wheelchair seating is available.

SEATING NOTES

• The six Row A seats closest to the stage on each side are designated as having a partial view by the NBC, and are therefore usually among the cheapest in the house. If you have a choice, take the seat farthest from the stage.
• By Ring 4 you are quite high up in the theatre. If you suffer from vertigo or a fear of heights, this may not be the best place for you, especially in the first-row seats all the way around.
• Standing room locations offer great value for money if you’re up to standing through an entire performance.

READER REVIEWS

“Row A, Seat 440. The Nutcracker. I was worried that we wouldn’t have a good view from this height, but we could see the stage very well and we enjoyed getting to see the orchestra from above.”

LAYOUT

Seat count: 430

• Ring 5 is composed of eight central rows of seating and one row along each side. The eight central rows are continental seating, which means long rows with an aisle on each end only. To make it easier to pass seated patrons, each row in this section has extra legroom.
• There is one row along each side, which consists of armless fixed seats that swivel.
• There is no wheelchair seating on this level.

SEATING NOTES

• The eight seats nearest to the stage are designated as having a partial view by the NBC.  The last two rows in the centre section, G & H, are also listed as having a partial view. These seats are generally the cheapest seats in the house.
• The fifth ring is high. If you suffer from vertigo or fear of heights, this is probably not the place for you, especially in the first-row seats all the way around.

READER REVIEWS

“The 5th ring seats may not be your thing if you have a problem with heights.”

LAYOUT

Seat Count:  922

• The orchestra is comprised of 20 centre rows, from rows D to X
• Orchestra seating begins with Row D because the orchestra pit extends out over the space that would be rows A to C without it.
• The orchestra ring is comprised of five elevated rows at the rear of the orchestra and two rows along each side, which have non-fixed seating.
• Note that unlike most theatres, where the double letter rows (AA, BB, etc.) are the centre orchestra rows closest to the stage, in the Four Seasons Centre the double letter rows are in the orchestra ring, at the rear and sides of the theatre. Rows AA and BB on the sides have non-fixed, movable chairs.
• Wheelchair seating is available.

SEATING NOTES

• The COC notes that opera surtitles are obstructed in row BB on the orchestra ring sides and in rows DD and EE in the orchestra ring left and right centre side sections.
• Row J on the orchestra sides is open to a cross aisle. The advantage of these seats is that there is no one directly ahead to potentially block your view, legroom is open and you have first access to the exit.

READER REVIEWS

“The large bar on the ground floor is great, but gets very busy at intermission. You can go up to the less crowded 3rd floor bar to get a drink or, even better, pre-order your drink for intermission and it will be ready for you when you get there.”

LAYOUT

Seat count: 128

• The grand ring is comprised of 21 boxes and is generally considered the prime viewing location in the theatre, with the Royal Box (N) located in the centre back.
• Boxes have 2, 6, 8 or 12 assigned, non-fixed seats in either one, two or three rows. There are several wheelchair-accessible boxes.

READER REVIEWS

None.

LAYOUT

Seat count: 300

• Ring 3 is composed of five central rows of seating and two rows along each side. The side rows, A and B, feature non-fixed seating.
• Standing room locations are available at the back of the central seating area (row F). Tickets are sold on the day of the performance when the Four Seasons Centre box office opens.
• Wheelchair seating is available.

READER REVIEWS

“I have sat in almost every level in this theatre. Ring 3 has great views at a good price and is my favourite sitting area.”

LAYOUT
Seat count: 290

• Ring 4 is composed of five central rows of seating and two rows along each side. The rows on the sides, A and B, feature non-fixed seating.
• Standing room locations are available at the back of the central seating area (row F).
• Wheelchair seating is available.

SEATING NOTES

• By Ring 4 you are quite high up in the theatre. If you suffer from vertigo or a fear of heights, this may not be the best place for you, especially in the first-row seats all the way around.

READER REVIEWS

“Ring 4 is high but we didn’t feel as far from the stage as we expected to. We had a good view of the full stage and most of the orchestra pit, and the surtitles were perfect.”

LAYOUT

Seat count: 430

• Ring 5 is composed of eight central rows of seating and one row along each side. The eight central rows are continental seating, which means long rows with an aisle on each end only. To make it easier to pass seated patrons, each row in this section has extra legroom.
• There is one row along each side, which consists of armless fixed seats that swivel.
• The final two rows of Ring 5 are reserved for patrons under the age of 30.
• There is no wheelchair seating on this level.

SEATING NOTES

• The fifth ring is high. If you suffer from vertigo or fear of heights, this is probably not the best place for you, especially in the first row of seats.

READER REVIEWS

“Row A, Seat 570. Eugene Onegin (COC) This is one of the cheapest seats you can get for the opera, and I thought it was pretty good value for the $35.00 (excluding fees) that I spent. A few caveats: The view of the right side of the stage is obstructed, as is the view of the rear stage. The obstruction of the back of the stage (I could generally only see the actors from the waist down if they were towards the back of the stage) is worse than it would be for a ballet because the COC has an overhanging screen at the front of the stage for showing subtitles to its non-English operas. Eugene Onegin isn’t a big ensemble piece, so I didn’t find that the few moments I missed interfered with my enjoyment of the evening, but how much you miss will likely depend on which opera or ballet you see. I definitely wouldn’t sit any farther forward than this seat though (and in fact the couple in the two seats ahead of me left at intermission). The Four Seasons Centre has excellent acoustics and I was able to hear the performance well even at this height. Since the side seats are closer to the stage than the central ring 5 seats, I didn’t feel removed from the action and could still see some of the performers’ expressions. I also had an excellent view of the English subtitles. The seat itself is a fixed swivel seat without armrest, and was well-aligned towards the stage. I found it comfortable enough for the duration and although there’s not much padding, there is plenty of legroom. As a casual fan of opera I found this seat to be an affordable way to enjoy a show I wouldn’t otherwise have attended.”

“This is the only purpose-built opera house in Canada and it is wonderful. Even in the “cheap seats” in Ring 5, the acoustics are excellent.”

“The 5th ring seats may not be your thing if you have a problem with heights.”