New, intimate performance venue opens in downtown Oshawa as Black Box 70

An iconic downtown Oshawa basement venue that was a nightclub, rock ‘n roll bar and a strip club in its previous lives has been transformed into a performance venue where music, theatre, and storytelling take center stage.

Curated and produced by local theatre veteran Joan Mansfield, Black Box 70 is now open at 70 King, itself a nearly century-old building of legend in Oshawa (as the Genosha Hotel) that was the centrepiece for social life in the city for decades following its opening in 1929.

The Genosha and its Starlight Lounge was the place to be in the 30s and 40s but the latter decades of the 20th century and the early part of this one were not kind to the Genosha or to the downstairs venue, which was the Million Dollar Saloon strip club until it closed in 2003.

In recent years, however, the building got itself a makeover, a rebranding to 70 King and welcomed several restaurants to the main floor, making it once again a go-to spot for Oshawa residents.

Now, with the opening of Black Box 70, the transformation is complete, with Mansfield promising to bring a variety of entertainment to the venue, from Broadway karaoke to jazz nights, intimate plays and memorable concerts.

To reach the club, there is a staircase leading below the street. At the bottom, behind black walls and a waiting stage, lies Black Box 70, an intimate, underground venue with just 64 seats, designed, as Mansfield noted, “for those who prefer their nights close, immediate, and unforgettable.”

“Within these walls, theatre becomes more gripping, music more electric, comedy more cutting, and jazz more haunting. It is a room that recalls the Starlight era of this storied address – yet carries its own pulse, a new rhythm for a new generation.”

When the stage is not in use it will be available to book for rehearsals, workshops and performances.