Pantages Playhouse Theatre facts for kids
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Théâtre Pantages Playhouse
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| Location | 180 Market Avenue East Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3B 0P7 |
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| Owner | City of Winnipeg |
| Designation | |
| Official name: Pantages Playhouse Theatre National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 15 November 1985 |
| Municipally Designated Site | |
| Designation | Winnipeg Landmark Heritage Structure |
| Recognized | October 1, 2004 |
| CRHP listing | May 18, 2007 |
| Recognition authority | City of Winnipeg |
| ID | 7367 |
| Capacity | 1,475 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 9 February 1914 |
| Architect | George W. Northwood and B. Marcus Priteca |
The Pantages Playhouse Theatre is a very old and special building in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It used to be a famous place for vaudeville shows. Vaudeville was a type of entertainment with many different acts, like comedians, singers, dancers, and magicians, all in one show.
This two-storey building has a beautiful front with a bright sign called a marquee. It also has fancy old designs like columns and decorative carvings. Inside, the lobby still looks much like it did when it first opened. You can see marble walls and a decorated plaster ceiling.
The Pantages Theatre in Winnipeg is one of the few theatres left from a big chain of 75 theatres owned by a man named Alexander Pantages. It's a true piece of history!
Contents
A Look Back: The Theatre's Story
The Pantages Theatre was built between 1913 and 1914. It officially opened its doors on February 9, 1914. This theatre was the ninth one built in Alexander Pantages' large chain of 86 theatres. It is located in Winnipeg's historic Exchange District.
Designed for Entertainment
Architects George W. Northwood and B. Marcus Priteca designed the theatre. It was built for the Pantages Company, a major American company that put on vaudeville shows. The theatre was made to host live plays, music, and vaudeville acts.
Many famous performers appeared on its stage. These included Buster Keaton, Ella Fitzgerald, and Stan Laurel. Alexander Pantages once said that "all my acts originate in Winnipeg." This shows how important the Winnipeg theatre was for new talent.
A Place for Jazz History
In 1914, the Pantages Theatre hosted the first-ever jazz concert in Canada. The Creole Band performed here, making it the first jazz concert outside the United States. This event helped jazz become popular around the world.
Changes Over the Years
In 1923, the Pantages Company moved its shows to another theatre. The City of Winnipeg then bought the building. They renamed it the Playhouse Theatre and tried to use it for live plays. However, this idea didn't work out very well. The theatre soon went back to showing vaudeville, musical shows, and movies.
The famous Royal Winnipeg Ballet had its first performance on this stage in June 1940. They continued to perform here until 1967. That's when the Manitoba Centennial Concert Hall was built.
New Owners and New Life
The City of Winnipeg sold the theatre in 1943. The new owner wanted to use it for vaudeville and movies. But the city took it back in 1945 because of unpaid taxes. In 1948, the theatre started featuring amateur performers. This led to the creation of the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1956.
In the 1980s, the theatre got a makeover. The auditorium was repainted, and the seats and curtains were replaced. In 1993, the City of Winnipeg worked with the provincial and federal governments to improve the theatre. They added a new entrance and lobby, and made changes backstage.
The Theatre Today
In February 1998, a group called the Performing Arts Consortium of Winnipeg, Inc. took over managing the theatre.
In 2019, the City of Winnipeg planned to sell the theatre to Alex Boersma and Lars Nicholson. However, there were some talks about keeping a monument to the 1919 Winnipeg general strike nearby. In July 2020, the theatre was sold to the Performing Arts Coalition (PAC) for a very small amount. This group plans to raise money to fix up the historic theatre. They want to make it a great place for performances once again.
