Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Royal MTC) is Canada's oldest English-language regional theatre. Next to the Stratford and Shaw Festivals, MTC has a higher annual attendance than any other theatre in the country. It was founded in 1958 by John Hirsch and Tom Hendry as an amalgamation of the Winnipeg Little Theatre and Theatre 77. In 2010, the theatre received a royal designation from Queen Elizabeth II, and officially became the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
Its Mainstage on Market Avenue has a seating capacity of 785 and opened on October 31, 1970. On October 26, 2010, Manitoba Theatre Centre received a Royal designation, becoming Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
Architecture
The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre was designed in the Brutalist style by Winnipeg's Number Ten Architectural Group with input from artistic director Eddie Gilbert. With its exposed concrete sculptural form, an informal interior theatre space and a foyer originally conceived to balance large gatherings and smaller intimate groups in the same space, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is one of Canada's most important small-scale Brutalist designs.
Artistic Directors
- John Hirsch (1958–1966)
- Edward Gilbert (1966–1969)
- Kurt Reis (1969–1970)
- Keith Turnbull (1970–1972)
- Edward Gilbert (1972–1975)
- Len Cariou (1975–1976)
- Arif Hasnain (1977–1980)
- Richard Ouzounian (1980–1984)
- James Roy (1984–1986)
- Rick McNair (1986–1989)
- Steven Schipper (1989–2019)
- Kelly Thornton (2019-)
References
External links
- Manitoba Theatre Centre site
- Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival site