October 26, 2010
Manitoba Theatre Centre Receives Royal Designation from Queen
Queen Elizabeth has given permission for the Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC) to use the royal designation, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“On behalf of Manitobans, I would like to congratulate the Manitoba Theatre Centre on being given a royal designation from Queen Elizabeth,” said Selinger. “The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is a mainstay in our province’s cultural life, providing us with a rich and diverse array of theatre. It has also solidified its reputation for artistic excellence and for being a well-managed organization.”
MTC operates the John Hirsch Theatre Mainstage and the Tom Hendry Theatre Warehouse, the Fringe and Playwrights festivals, and tours in rural and northern Manitoba. The centre operates and maintains two performance and production facilities as part of the Manitoba Centennial Centre Corporation.
In attendance at today’s announcement were MTC co-founder Tom Hendry and actor Gordon Pinsent, who appeared in MTC’s first production in 1958.
Under artistic director Steven Schipper, RMTC now presents over 250 performances annually for more than 150,000 theatre lovers. The centre produces six plays at MTC Mainstage and four plays at MTC Warehouse.
“Today’s royal designation has filled us with humility rather than pride, and we are grateful to Her Majesty and the Government of Manitoba for the distinction. This honour reaffirms our belief that live theatre can transform lives, one play at a time,” said Steven Schipper, artistic director, MTC.
The theatre centre has over 18,000 season subscribers between the two stages. The Fringe Festival has attendance of over 80,000 and is now the second-largest festival in North America.
The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is Canada’s first English-speaking regional theatre and has become a model for regional theatres throughout North America.
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