Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre

The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre exists to celebrate the widest spectrum of theatre art. Deeply rooted in the province of Manitoba, which gave it life and provides for its growth, Royal MTC aspires to both reflect and inform the community it serves.

The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (Royal MTC) was Canada’s first English language regional theatre, created when two Winnipeg theatre companies merged in 1958 under Artistic Director John Hirsch and General Manager Tom Hendry. Their goal was to produce great theatre with mass appeal. Royal MTC became a model for regional theatres throughout North America, and received a royal designation from Queen Elizabeth II in 2010. Sixty years later, we remain Manitoba’s flagship theatre.

Each year, we produce 10 plays on two stages, a regional tour of Manitoba and Northwest Ontario, a wide range of youth programming and two annual festivals: The Bridge: A Festival of Ideas (founded in 2021) and North America’s second-largest Fringe, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival (founded in 1988). Royal MTC also commissions, seeds and develops new work, premiering an average of one new play each season. Attendance across all productions and activities averages 300,000 each year.

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The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre is proud to call Manitoba home. Royal MTC is located in Winnipeg on Treaty 1 territory, the lands of the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline, Nehethowuk Nations, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. We are thankful for the benefits sharing this land has afforded us, acknowledge the responsibilities of the Treaties, and embrace the opportunity to partner with Indigenous communities in the spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.