When John Hirsch and Tom Hendry founded the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1958, their goal was to create great professional theatre with mass appeal. As Hendry said, "One can endlessly cite statistics to prove employment, economic impact and tourist magnetism. What the arts - given a chance - bring to a city is something in addition to all those material rewards. They give a great city an image of its soul."
Hirsch and Hendry met while studying at the University of Manitoba. They first joined forces to form a children's theatre company and then later founded Theatre 77. In 1958, Theatre 77 merged with Winnipeg Little Theatre to become Canada's first regional theatre - the Manitoba Theatre Centre.
The Theatre Centre spent its first decade in the Dominion Theatre (except for half of the 1959/60 season when it was forced to relocate to the Beason Theatre while the Dominion's roof was repaired) until it was demolished to make way for the Richardson Building/Lombard Hotel complex. During construction of the new theatre, MTC presented two seasons at the Centennial Concert Hall. On November 2, 1970, the Manitoba Theatre Centre opened at its present location with Bertolt Brecht's A Man's A Man, directed by John Hirsch.
Since its founding, MTC has produced more than 500 plays, and hundreds of well-known actors have appeared on its stages, including Len Cariou, Graham Greene, Martha Henry, Judd Hirsch, Tom Hulce, William Hurt, Tom Jackson, Robert Lepage, Seana McKenna, Eric Peterson, Gordon Pinsent, Keanu Reeves, Fiona Reid, R.H. Thomson, Kathleen Turner and Al Waxman.
Now, more than 50 years after John Hirsch and Tom Hendry envisioned a centre for theatre in Manitoba, MTC continues to do all they dreamed of - and more.
Today, MTC produces 10 plays on 2 stages, a regional tour, two festivals and a wide range of youth programming. Artistic Director Steven Schipper is attuned to his audience, General Manager Camilla Holland balances art and fiscal responsibility, and the community supports the theatre with grants, donations, volunteer time and thousands of subscriptions.
The impact of MTC in the community has been felt with several honours the theatre has received, including being named a National Historic Site of Canada in July of 2009 and becoming the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre after receiving royal designation from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in October of 2010.
History Fact Sheet
Production History
The John Hirsch Theatre at the MTC Mainstage
The Tom Hendry Theatre at the MTC Warehouse
Regional Tour
Theatre for Young Audiences
Community Play
50 of the Tried and True
The play's the thing, but some plays stand the test of time and remain favourites throughout the years. As part of the Manitoba Theatre Centre's 50th anniversary season celebrations, MTC created a list of plays that are not easily forgotten.
The final list of 50 Significant Canadian Plays was derived from nominations by prominent actors, directors, dramaturges, critics, professors and playwrights, who were each asked to nominate 10 plays. See the list below!
50 Significant Canadian Plays