Manitoba Theatre for Young People facts for kids
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The MTYP
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| Address | 2 Forks Market Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3C 4X1 |
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| Coordinates | 49°53′17.3″N 97°7′59.08″W / 49.888139°N 97.1330778°W |
| Type | Theatre |
| Capacity | 315 |
| Opened | 1999 |
| Years active | 1982–present |
The Manitoba Theatre for Young People (often called MTYP) is a special theatre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It is located in The Forks area. This theatre creates and performs plays especially for children and teenagers. Each year, more than 100,000 people come to watch their shows.
The theatre building has two main performance spaces. One is a large stage with 315 seats. There is also a smaller room, mostly used for practice and other activities. The building also has four classrooms for acting lessons. There are also areas for making costumes and sets, and dressing rooms for the actors. The main stage is very flexible and can be set up in different ways.
MTYP is one of only two theatres in Canada that focuses on young audiences and has its own permanent building. It is also the only one that offers a full season of plays just for teens.
Contents
History of MTYP
The theatre first started in 1965 under the name Actors' Showcase. It officially became a company in 1977. In 1982, Leslee Silverman became the Artistic Director. This is when MTYP became a professional theatre dedicated to young people.
For many years, the theatre was located in the Gas Station Theatre. This was in the Osborne Village area of Winnipeg.
In 1999, MTYP moved to a new, much larger building. This building is called the Shaw Performing Arts Center. It was built specifically to be the home for the theatre and its school.
Since 2014, Pablo Felices-Luna has been the Artistic Director.
First Plays in 1982-1983
When MTYP became a professional theatre in 1982, they put on several plays. These included:
- The Little Beast
- Plum Pudding
- You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
- School Yard Games
- Crying to Laugh
- Magic & the Supernatural in Shakespeare
Programs and Activities
The Manitoba Theatre for Young People puts on many plays each year. They have shows for the public and special shows for schools. They also have two plays each year that travel around Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba.
MTYP also has a Theatre School. It offers classes in the fall, winter, and spring. They also have camps during spring break and summer. Children as young as three years old can join. More than 1,600 kids and teens learn at the theatre school. The school teaches everyone from beginners to those who want to become professional actors. Older students can perform in the Young Company and Shakespeare Company.
MTYP also has a special program for Indigenous youth in Winnipeg. This program offers free acting, performing, and film training. It is for young people between 12 and 18 years old. This program helps over 500 students and is the biggest of its kind in Canada.
How MTYP is Funded
Running MTYP costs about $2.2 million each year. About 20% of their money comes from fundraising. Government grants provide 30% of their funds. The other 50% comes from things like theatre school fees, ticket sales, and renting out their building.
The current theatre building cost $5.6 million to build. A lot of money was raised to help pay for it. However, the theatre still has some payments to make on the building each year.
Awards and Recognition
The Manitoba Theatre for Young People and its former artistic director, Leslee Silverman, have won many awards:
- In 1991, Leslee Silverman received the 125th Commemorative Medal. This was part of Canada’s 125th Anniversary celebrations.
- MTYP was the first English theatre to win the Canadian Institute of the Arts for Young Audiences Award in 1992.
- Their play Comet in Moominland was nominated for the Chalmers Award in 1994.
- In 1998, their play Old Friends won the Chalmers Award.
- Leslee Silverman received the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in 2001. This was for her important work in the community.
- In 2003, she received the first Arts Award of Distinction from the Manitoba Arts Council.
- Leslee Silverman was made an honorary member of the Association for Canadian Theatre Research (ACTR) in 2004.
- In 2007, MTYP's play Comet in Moominland was invited to open the season at New York's New Victory Theater.
- That same year, Comet in Moominland won a Dora Mavor Moore Award. This was for Outstanding Production in the Theatre for Young Audiences category.
- In 2010, MTYP received the Human Rights Commitment Award. This was for promoting human rights for almost 30 years.
- In 2011, Leslee Silverman received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Famous Former Students
Some well-known people who attended MTYP's theatre school include actor Adam Beach and actress Nia Vardalos.
