Selkirk’s Garry Theatre eyes reopening, transformation in 2025

After being shuttered for over three years, the City of Selkirk is sharing plans to restore and reopen the Garry Theatre in the downtown with a revitalized purpose to be a cultural hub for its residents. 

First opened in 1940, the theatre, which was owned by Landmark Cinemas, closed permanently in 2021. The City of Selkirk purchased the building with an eye towards hopefully maintaining its role as a gathering place for its citizens. 

“If you grew up in Selkirk, this was the place to come,” says Duane Nicol, CAO of the City of Selkirk. “This is the place you went for your first date. This is the place that you went for the Saturday and Sunday matinees to see all kinds of shows for a loonie or a toonie. It was at the heart of our downtown.” 

The inside of the Garry Theatre today. (Photo: Nolan Kehler)

The city has been working on plans to reopen the theatre since 2022, when they engaged consulting firm Urban Systems Ltd to create a business plan for the Garry Theatre and help imagine what its future could look like.  Since then, they have released RFP’s and are collecting estimates for how much it will cost to revamp the 80-year-old building with an eye towards modernization and accessibility.  

“From a building envelope perspective, a structural perspective, it is solid,” observed Nicol. “We want to make sure that every citizen in Selkirk, every citizen in our region can come to the Garry Theatre and enjoy it.” 

A rendering of the future Garry Theatre. (Source; City of Selkirk)

One element of the new business plan of the Garry Theatre that Nicol shared was that theatre should go beyond merely showing movies and branch into other performing arts opportunities as well. “We’re hoping that we’ll have a mixture of newer movies, but also have access to some older movies, do some film festivals,” shared Nicol, “but also use the stage for performances like small bands and stand-up comedians.”  

Nicol also shared that while the city has some reserve funds for facilities like the Garry Theatre, they were also able to secure a provincial grant for just over $500,000 to help with the initial improvements. 

The next steps for the theatre will be assembling a non-profit community board that will oversee it – “I don’t think anyone wants the city government picking what movies are coming,” Nicol laughs – and to ensure that the community’s voice is heard in the future plans.  

An old sign advertising the old Garry Theatre remains inside. (Photo: Nolan Kehler)

Ultimately, Nicol hopes that the next generation of Selkirk residents will be able to enjoy the Garry Theatre the same way he did when he was a kid. Walking around the space, he shared stories of a first date he had as a teenager – “I’ll not name the person,” Nicol chuckled – to coming to see weekend matinees of Goonies and Tim Burton’s Batman with his little brother.  

“I see a vibrant arts and culture community just exploding,” Nicol says when asked about what the Garry Theatre will look like in the next five years. “I see people coming downtown and engaging in the open public space that we’ve created.” 

Source: City of Selkirk.