$500K in federal cash to help renovate, modernize aging Manitoba theatre facility

The Manitoba Theatre for Young People is seen on January 9, 2025. (Glenn Pismenny)

A half-million-dollar investment from the federal government will set the stage for renovations and modernizations at a Manitoba theatre company.

Heritage Minister Taleeb Noormohamed announced Thursday that $500,000 in federal dollars will flow to the Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) to fund renovation and modernization projects.

The Vancouver-area MP took a tour of the Forks facility Thursday. He said with the pressures of life beginning for Canadians so young, theatre and performing arts can be a way to express themselves and engage with others.

Investments like this are critical, he added, to ensuring young people have access to institutions like this, particularly at a time when arts and culture funding is hard to come by.

“We’re re-emphasizing through investments like this that it is important, not just for young people, but for the fabric of communities,” he said.

The money will pay for the conversion of Richardson Hall, MTYP’s secondary programming space, into a fully functioning theatre.

New LED lighting will also be installed, in addition to new HVAC systems, while The Forks facility’s windows, doors, roofing membrane, and simulation will also be replaced in a push to improve energy efficiency. The money will also fund accessibility upgrades, including a new assistive-listening system and the redevelopment of the quiet room.

The money was given through MTYP’s Play It Forward capital campaign, which launched in April 2024. It aims to raise $6.5 million to cover capital improvements.

“Renovations of this scale would not be possible without the many contributors to our Play it Forward campaign,” said Debra Zoerb, MTYP’s managing director.

“We are thrilled to be able to count Canadian Heritage amongst them with their investment in MTYP and these projects and thank them for this vital support.”

Renovations are expected to be completed in June.