In November 2012 a new leadership structure promoted General Manager Julie Eccles to the office of Executive Director and named Ray Hogg, the company’s first ever Artistic Director the following month. Committed to the long term success of the organization, the shared vision focuses on upholding the reputation earned by the theatre over 60 years of entertaining audiences and fostering its growth and expansion into the future.

In 2012, the construction of sets and props was brought back to the theatre and, for the first time in over ten years, the back stage carpentry shop was brought back to life by the carpenters of local builder Scenic Elements. From that point on, Rainbow Stage has continued to invest in designers, carpenters, painters, and artisans to bring the highest quality production values to our stage.

Since 2010, we have seen this type of investment bear fruit: audience growth and support has been getting stronger year by year with attendance levels closing in on 50,000 attendees during our 60th Anniversary Season.

This investment has also opened the door to some very exciting collaborations. In 2013 and 2014 Disney Theatricals granted Rainbow Stage the rights to produce two Canadian Regional Theatres Premieres based on our excellence in production,: the 2013 smash hit Mary Poppins and 2014’s wildly popular The Little Mermaid. Both shows served to deepen the Rainbow Stage/Disney Theatricals relationship and we are eager to collaborate with them more in the coming years.

Since 2010, we have placed an increased focus on producing Central Canada premieres as well, and will yet again present a premiere production with Sister Act in August of 2015. Stay tuned for announcements of other exciting upcoming premieres…

Bringing a Season Together

Rainbow Stage strives to be fresh and inventive in all aspects of our work. Our aim is to bring new titles to the Winnipeg stage and re-live the classics that make musical theatre great! Our passion is to explore new possibilities for Rainbow Stage and our audiences. As a professional not-for-profit arts organization, our focus is on fostering interest and appreciation in musical theatre and contributing to the well-being of the theatre community. We aim to nurture and support the growing community of Manitoba-based artists from their early professional years straight through until their retirement.

We are equally committed to ensuring that productions at Rainbow Stage are accessible to the widest possible community constituency. Not only do we ensure that a family of four can attend the theatre for the same price as an afternoon at the movies, over the past 6 years we have also provided over 10,000 tickets to deserving not-for-profit, community-focused organization service organizations that share and exemplify our core values of inclusivity and accessibility in their organizational programming. – we live to serve!

We are proud to be a recognized tourism attraction in Winnipeg, and contribute to the nationally recognized local arts industry. Rainbow Stage employs more than ½ of the local arts workers – making us a tremendous economic driver. In line with our mandate to operate in a fiscally responsible manner, we continue to pursue new funding opportunities in the private and public sectors to support this important work.

The above is no small feat, governed by our dedicated board of directors, managed by a team of 7 full time staff and supported by a cast of thousands of patrons. Rainbow Stage continues to develop year by year.

Our Shows

Our productions are mounted at the venue in beautiful Kildonan Park. The venue is owned by the City of Winnipeg and Rainbow Stage leases the venue from May-September. The venue has 2,300 seats under the dome, although, because of sightlines and sound booth positions, approximately 2,200 seats are available for sale.

Since 1955, Rainbow Stage has produced Broadway Musical Theatre Productions at Rainbow Stage. In the early years the selection of titles was limited and hence many productions were often seen multiple times over the years. Since 2010 the competition for rights of new musicals has opened up to include Regional Theatres and we are very pleased to be in a position to bring often first arrivals to our wonderful City and Province.

Past Inductees