For over a century the Academy Theatre has had an impressive presence at the foot of Lindsay's historical main street. During that time it has been many things to many people - a stage from which to launch a theatrical career, a meeting hall, a cinema, even a home! Above all, it has provided a place where many thousands of people have been able to enjoy a variety of entertainment.

The Academy was built in 1892 on the site of Lindsay's first tavern - a log structure erected about 1834 and probably destroyed in the "Great Fire" of 1861. When the town's new "Opera House" opened in 1893, it was billed as the most technically perfect theatre in Canada, and certainly earned effusive praise from the local press. Its large stage, 900 seats, crescent-shaped gallery, private boxes, frescoed ceiling, rich decor, and beautiful proportions apparently left visitors (but hopefully not the actors) "speechless".

The Academy has witnessed many fine performances, both local and professional. Among the most famous to have trod the boards were a very young Sammy Davis Jr., and Marie Dressler, who made her debut at the Academy at age five, posing naked as Cupid. She tumbled off her pedestal, getting the first laugh of her long career in comedy.

The Academy had three furnaces which needed to be fed coal constantly. The couple who looked after the building around 1919 lived in an apartment on the third floor. Legend has it that the lady, rushing down the stairs, had a bad fall and died before reaching the hospital. It is her spirit that is said to haunt the theatre to this day. Mary, as she has been named, is a friendly but mischievous ghost, who, according to theatre employees, moves or hides objects - and then returns them - lowers seats, makes lights go on or off, opens and shuts doors, and so forth. Busy staff have, on occasion, appealed to Mary to tone down her pranks, and she complies. If you want to feel her presence, it's suggested that you sit in seat #13 in any of the rows when the theatre is silent and empty.

With the advent of cinema, the Academy became primarily a movie house. Extensive renovations in 1931, probably to accommodate this new form of entertainment, resulted in a new stage, auditorium, orchestra pit, ceiling, and balcony. Admission to movie matinees in those days was only 10 cents

In 1956, due to stiff competition from the new Century Theatre - a modern movie house still around today - the Academy closed its doors. When it came up for sale in 1962, a group of concerned citizens, fearing that the theatre might be demolished, began a community initiative to raise funds to buy the building. There was overwhelming support from service clubs, businesses, and many individuals, which raised over $65,000. The Academy Theatre Foundation was formed in 1963 to manage and maintain the building. The theatre was given a face lift, with major redesign of the entrance and lobby (eliminating two retail stores that had been on the premises). The Academy Theatre Women's Guild was formed, and has been instrumental in raising much-needed funds for many years, as well as providing volunteers to take tickets, sell soft-drinks, and generally help out. In 1965, the Kawartha Lakes Tourist Association sponsored a series of 8 plays for the summer months. This was the beginning of the Kawartha Summer Theatre, which has been a much-loved tradition since then.