Four performing arts organizations in Winnipeg are in line for $2 million in grants, including the 110-year-old Pantages Playhouse Theatre, a national historic site that has sat unused since 2019.
“It’s great news and we applaud [Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham] and the city,” said Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg.
“I know he says [the grants are] to support downtown core and strength in Winnipeg’s arts and cultural sector, but I would add to that, very importantly, our built heritage, too. He’s doing that.”
There’s always fear when a building sits vacant for too long, especially one with historical significance, she said. However, Pantages was given historical protection in 1981 so heat and regular inspections had to be maintained to ensure it didn’t meet its end through neglect.
“We have been watching this for quite a while since it was sold and we were hoping, fingers crossed, that this would start moving forward,” Tugwell said.
Gillingham on Wednesday announced $87,500 in 2024 and $250,000 annually from 2025-2027 for the Pantages capital renovation project.
The other three organizations named to receive money from the Downtown Arts Capital Fund are:
- The Royal Winnipeg Ballet — $87,500 in 2024 and $250,000 annually from 2025-2027 for modernization and expansion of its downtown campus.
- Manitoba Opera — $25,000 to upgrade computer systems and ticketing technology.
- The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre — $300,000 for the community safety and accessibility project.
Some funds are being allocated now but were budgeted for in the multi-year 2024-2027 budget, a city spokesperson said.
In the case of Pantages, the funds will help cover a feasibility study that was undertaken to determine what must be done to make it a functioning live theatre space once again.
“These institutions … contribute to and really establish Winnipeg’s cultural identity. Not only do they entertain, but they drive economic activity within our city as well. They build community connections and they contribute to the vibrancy of our downtown,” Gillingham said.
We know that the pandemic was a difficult time. We know that many performing arts organizations felt that impact of the pandemic. This investment in our arts organizations is an investment in the future of downtown Winnipeg and it’s an investment in the culture of Winnipeg.”
The funding is currently listed as proposed because it must still be approved by city council.
“I trust [the vote] will be unanimous,” said Coun. Sherri Rollins, who emceed Wednesday’s news conference. “I’m obviously concerned with the the longevity and the sustainability of arts funding because it contributes to vibrancy. It is why we find our home in the downtown. And we’re lucky because council believes in that formula, too.”
Pantages Theatre, near the corner of Market Avenue and Main Street, was named a National Historic Site of Canada in 1989 because it is one of the few surviving, and one of the finest, vaudeville theatres built between 1913-1930, according to the designation from the federal government.
Opened in February 1914, the 1,773-seat theatre (later reduced to 1,475 seats) was an important stop on the vaudeville circuit, featuring performances by stars including Buster Keaton, Ella Fitzgerald and Stan Laurel.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet also made its premiere there in June 1940, and called it home until the Centennial Concert Hall was constructed in 1967.
Named for businessman Alexander Pantages, the theatre was taken over by the City of Winnipeg for tax arrears in the 1930s. It sold the building in 1943 to a new owner but seized it for taxes again in 1945.
The Performing Arts Consortium (PAC) of Winnipeg, a charitable organization, assumed responsibility for the management in February 1998 until the city agreed to sell it in 2019 for $530,000 to two businessmen.
The sale was delayed and eventually fell through. It was then sold for $1 to the PAC, which has promised to raise between $10-$15 million to restore it and install a management team to operate it. The plan is for one of the main tenants to be the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
“That was my understanding,” Tugwell said .
“I’m still waiting to kind of hear about the plan itself. With this announcement, we’ll follow up and see what we can find out. But the first thing is taking care of the building, it needs some much needed maintenance and capital investments.”