Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba — Canada’s Prairie Region (North America)
Commemorating Manitoba Theatre Centre's 50th Anniversary
Imagine, MTC
— Ruth Abernathy, 2008, bronze —
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
1. Commemorating Manitoba Theatre Centre's 50th Anniversary Marker
“Theatre is, for me, an ongoing illumination of man, his problems, his dreams, his visions, the society which lifts him and his relationship to God. This is what the theatre is about, always has been about. It is also a celebration of community, of the values which a society holds. To be truly human has to be learned, and has to be learned over and over again. And one of the places where we learn about being human is in the theatre.”
John Hirsch (standing)
Founding Artistic Director
Manitoba Theatre Centre
“One can endlessly cite statistics to prove employment, economic impact and tourist magnetism. What the arts, given a chance, bring to a city is something in addition to all these material rewards. They give a great city an image of its soul.”
Tom Hendry (seated)
Founding General Manager
Manitoba Theatre Centre
In 1958, John Hirsch and Tom Hendry founded the Manitoba Theatre Centre. They staged professional productions of an eclectic array of plays — classics, Broadway hits and new Canadian work. But Hirsch and Hendry wanted to meet all the theatre needs of the region. They established a second stage for experimental plays in 1960, and began touring the area in 1961. Inspired by the breadth of MTC’s programming and the theatre’s high artistic standards, a whole network of what became known
this page online
Babs and Gail Asper and Michael Paterson
Johnston Group in honour of Marjorie Johnston
Erected 2008.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1958.
Location. 49° 53.916′ N, 97° 8.181′ W. Marker is in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It is in the Exchange District. Marker is at the intersection of Market Avenue and Rorie Street, on the right when traveling east on Market Avenue. Marker and sculpture are located along the sidewalk, directly in front of the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 174 Market Avenue, Winnipeg MB R3B 0P8, Canada. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre (a few steps from this marker); Recalling Brown's Creek / Revisiter le ruisseau Brown's (within shouting distance of this marker); Pantages Theatre (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Bloody Saturday (about 150 meters away); Rowand Block / Canada Life Building (about 150 meters away); The Confederation Building / L'édifice de la Confédération
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
2. Imagine, MTC Sculpture
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. Imagine, MTC. Ruth Abernethy website entry:
Figure portraits of Manitoba Theatre Centre founders John Hirsch and Tom Hendry (seated) are placed streetside near the theatre box office. A dedication cast into the empty theatre seat details the founding of the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1958.(Submitted on February 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Larger than life. The Free Press website entry:
The sculpture, which Abernethy calls “the chaps” but is actually titled Imagine, MTC, depicts Hirsch standing, creating an idea of a theatre company in the sky with his hands, while Hendry, seated next to him, scratches his chin, perhaps with a dramatic idea of his own. The piece was unveiled in October 2008, in honour of MTC’s 50th anniversary.(Submitted on February 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2022
3. Manitoba Theatre Centre
3. Manitoba Theatre Centre History. Theatre website entry:
Royal MTC’s roots can be traced to the merging of Theatre 77, founded by Tom Hendry and John Hirsch, and Winnipeg Little Theatre in 1958, forming Canada’s first regional theatre. MTC’s first 10 seasons were produced at the Dominion Theatre, just off the corner of Portage and Main (now the site of the Richardson Building). In 1968, MTC moved into the Centennial Concert Hall at 55 Main Street, where it spent the 1968/69 and 1969/70 seasons. The present site at 174 Market Avenue was completed in 1970, and the first production in its new home was Bertolt Brecht’s A Man’s a Man, directed by founding Artistic Director John Hirsch.(Submitted on February 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 5, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 47 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 5, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
