Manitoba commits $15M to revamp Winnipeg’s Pantages Playhouse Theatre
Posted May 5, 2026 12:50 pm.
Last Updated May 5, 2026 6:29 pm.
The Manitoba government is putting up $15 million to help restore a historic theatre in Winnipeg.
The Pantages Playhouse Theatre was built more than a century ago and was a key venue during the vaudeville era.
It hosted concerts, graduation ceremonies and other events over the decades, was declared a national historic site, and closed in 2018 while plans were drawn up for restoration.
The work will include stage upgrades and modern acoustic systems, and the renovated facility will be the new permanent home for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Premier Wab Kinew highlighted the importance of the project not only to enhance arts and culture in the province, but as an investment in Winnipeg’s downtown.
The renovated building will have roughly 1,100 seats. Curt Vossen, the orchestra’s board chair, says it will fill a gap in the range of venue sizes in Winnipeg.
“We want to program this theatre successfully for 250 to 300-plus days and nights a year, and bring over 1,000 people downtown back to our core, back to our city,” Vossen said.
“It’s going to be a creative hub not just for the WSO but for communities all across the city,” said Angela Birdsell, CEO of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and Pantages Playhouse.
Officials are hoping to open the revamped building in 2029. While Tuesday’s investment brings them closer to the $62 million-price tag, they’re still waiting on a $22 million ask from the federal government, with more private investor fundraising also to come.
“Once the federal support comes through, we will be at 80 per cent of our goal, and we will be going back to the private sector to complete our fundraising goal, which will be somewhere in the vicinity of another $15 million,” said Birdsell.
–With files from Eddie Huband
