Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
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.[1] In 2010, the theatre received a royal designation from Queen Elizabeth II, and officially became the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre.
Former names
Winnipeg Little Theatre
Theatre 77
238 metres (781 ft)
Concert Hall / City Hall
Theatre
785 seats
October 31, 1970
CA$2.5 million
Robert Kirby
It has a seating capacity of 785 and opened on October 31, 1970.[2]
Architecture[edit]
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.[2]