Rainbow Stage

Rainbow Stage is a not-for-profit musical theatre company and outdoor theatre operator, located in Kildonan Park in north Winnipeg, Manitoba. The covered amphitheatre seats up to 2,600 people and operates from May to September. History As urban parks became more popular in the 1910s, various public events began to be held in Winnipeg's Kildonan Park and Assiniboine Parks, leading to the creation of a permanent bandstand in Kildonan Park in 1917. The Kildonan Park Bandstand was for years a popular venue for live music, dance contests, and large-scale community sing-a-longs hosted by The Winnipeg Tribune newspaper, called "Nights of Community Song", at the height of the Depression era. In 1950, however, the severe Red River flood left the bandstand destroyed, as it did thousands of other Manitoban buildings and homes. Following the flood, there was common consensus that the bandstand ought to be replaced, as bandstands were no longer a much popular attraction, and music tastes had drastically shifted. Looking to Vancouver's Theatre Under the Stars at Stanley Park as its exemplar, the Winnipeg Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Music League proposed a sound stage to be built, which could serve as both a venue for local talents as well as a new tourist attraction in Winnipeg. The Civic Music League led the fundraising campaign for the construction of the new stage, and involved radio contests, a limerick competition, and canvassing at local businesses. Public fundraising ultimately brought in $15,000, with another $15,000 being offered by the Winnipeg government. The 3,000-seat theatre was designed by architects Smith, Carter, Katelnikoff. The new theatre received its named after architect Dennis Carter brought a cardboard model of the design with him to a meeting one night, and someone had observed that if lights were strung along the top curvature, "it would look like a rainbow." Construction began in 1951 and was completed in the spring of 1952, with additional work on the amphitheatre being completed in 1953. Though some construction was still needing to be done, the Rainbow Stage saw its first concert on 22 September 1953, performed by the touring Kitsilano Boys Band from Vancouver. Between 1953 and 1954, pergola walkways were constructed on either side of the amphitheatre. On 7 July 1954, the Rainbow Stage was officially opened, featuring a benefit concert with Bill Walker as the night's MC. Performing first was the Ukrainian Youth Association, followed by the James Duncan chorus who performed songs from the musical Carousel; other performers included Walker himself with Len Adree, as well as Eric Wild and his CBC Orchestra, and the Jewish Community Choir with Cantor Benjamin Brownstone. In its opening year, the stage saw 19 performances to a combined audience of more than 19,000. The first full-length musical to be presented was Brigadoon, in the fall of 1955. The Winnipeg Summer Theatre Association was founded in 1956 to administer the theatre. A decade later, in 1966, the non-profit organization Rainbow Stage Inc was chartered, with Jack Shapira as executive producer. In 1970, a triodetic dome, using 57 tonnes (63 tons) of steel and costing $175,000, was constructed over the theatre by the Dominion Bridge Company. Further renovations were completed in 1975, which resulted in a modernized facility but a reduction of 600 seats. The renovations involved a labour dispute and a temporary move to the Manitoba Centennial Concert Hall. In 1986, a fly gallery, carpentry and paint shops, classrooms and expanded change rooms were added to the facility. The 1986 renovation involved replacing an original timber arch. A commemorative plaque and a replica of the arch were erected in front of the building in 1988. Jack Shapira was maintained as executive producer of Rainbow Stage Inc. until he was forced to resign in 1988 as a result of financial improprieties. Jerrett Enns became general manager in 1991. The first original production at Rainbow Stage came in 1990 with the musical review Say It With Music. The performance featured songs from various musicals. In 2011, the building's exterior was painted in an extensive mural by local artists Mandy Van Leeuwen and Michel Saint Hilaire. Painting began June 1 and the finished murals were unveiled in August. The mural covers 740 square metres (8,000 square feet) of concrete and required 400 colours of latex paint. In 2012, the theatre appointed Ray Hogg as artistic director and promoted Julie Eccles to executive director. After a successful and critically acclaimed 2013 season, 2014 saw the summer playbill feature three shows for the first time in over 30 years. In Fall of 2017, Hogg resigned as Artist Director of Rainbow Stage. After an extensive search process, Rainbow Stage then appointed local Manitoba artist Carson Nattrass as artistic director in November 2017. In 2025, Rainbow Stage announced its first extensive renovation to the building since 1986, including safety and accessibility improvements to the front courtyard, theatre education, and box office spaces, as well as the removal of the 2011 mural after fourteen years. The renovations are split into several phases, with Phase 1 expected to be complete by Summer 2026. Productions Rainbow Stage has presented the following shows in its history: 1950s 1955 - Brigadoon 1956 - The Wizard of Oz, Annie Get Your Gun, Our Town, Kiss Me, Kate 1957 - Can-Can, Pitfalls of Pauline, Do You Remember, I Remember Mama, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Chu Chin Chow, Pot O'Gold Variety Show 1958 - The King and I, Hell's A' Poppin', Brigadoon 1959 - Guys and Dolls, Show Boat, The Wizard of Oz 1960s 1960 - The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees!, Carousel 1961 - South Pacific, High Button Shoes, The Most Happy Fella 1962 - The Music Man, The Student Prince, Oklahoma! 1963 - West Side Story, The King and I, Bye, Bye Birdie 1964 - The Sound of Music, Anything Goes, Finian's Rainbow, Gypsy: A Musical Fable 1965 - Flower Drum Song, Can-Can, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun 1966 - My Fair Lady, South Pacific 1967 - Oliver!, The Sound of Music 1968 - Carnival!, The Music Man 1969 - The King and I, Funny Girl 1970s 1970 - The Wizard of Oz, Hello, Dolly! 1971 - Peter Pan, Fiddler on the Roof 1972 - Cinderella, Mame 1973 - Where's Charley?, Annie Get Your Gun 1974 - The Sound of Music, No, No, Nanette 1975 - My Fair Lady 1976 - Oklahoma!, Brigadoon 1977 - Irene, Fiddler on the Roof 1978 - Oliver!, Hello, Dolly! 1979 - The King and I, The Desert Song 1980s 1980 - Guys and Dolls, Show Boat 1981 - South Pacific, Funny Girl 1982 - The Pajama Game, The Music Man 1983 - The Pirates of Penzance, Kiss Me, Kate 1984 - Kismet, Fiddler on the Roof 1985 - H.M.S. Pinafore, Mame 1986 - The Student Prince, The Sound of Music 1987 - My Fair Lady, Annie, Anne of Green Gables - The Musical 1988 - Oliver!, Sweet Charity 1989 - Carousel, Peter Pan 1990s 1990 - Anything Goes, Say It with Music, Cinderella 1991 - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, The Wizard of Oz 1992 - The Wizard of Oz, Guys and Dolls 1993 - Fiddler on the Roof 1994 - Brigadoon, Damn Yankees! 1995 - Oklahoma! 1996 - The Sound of Music 1997 - South Pacific 1998 - The Music Man 1999 - Crazy For You 2000s 2000 - Singin' in the Rain, 42nd Street 2001 - A Chorus Line, Big: The Musical 2002 - Fame, West Side Story 2003 - Footloose, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2004 - Chicago, The King and I, Beauty and the Beast 2005 - Miss Saigon, Good News, Smokey Joe's Cafe, Strike! the Musical 2006 - The Wizard of Oz 2007 - Grease, The Sound of Music 2008 - The Full Monty, Peter Pan, Forever Plaid 2009 - Beauty and the Beast 2010s 2010 - Rent, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2011 - Cats, Hairspray 2012 - Footloose, Annie 2013 - Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, Mary Poppins 2014 - A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, The Producers, The Little Mermaid 2015 - West Side Story, Les Misérables, Sister Act 2016 - Ring Of Fire, Shrek The Musical 2017 - Little Shop of Horrors, Mamma Mia! 2018 - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Beauty and the Beast 2019 - Guys and Dolls, Strike! the Musical, Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella 2020s 2020 - Pot of Gold Benefit Concert 2021 - Resilience: A Digital Concert, Pot of Gold '21 Benefit Concert, Ma-Buhay! Filipinos Singing for Their Lives Staged Reading 2022 - The Hockey Sweater, The Wizard of Oz 2023 - Rent, The Little Mermaid, Afterlight 2024 - Ma-Buhay! A New Musical, Mary Poppins, Miss Shakespeare 2025 - Rock of Ages, Frozen The Musical, Afterlight 2026 - Jesus Christ Superstar, Legally Blonde, Fiddler on the Roof Full-length musicals The first full-length musical to be presented at Rainbow Stage was Brigadoon, in the fall of 1955. Since then most of the productions have been of Broadway musicals, including Annie Get Your Gun (1956, 1965, 1973), Kiss Me, Kate (1956, 1983), The King and I (1958, 1963, 1969, 1979, 2004), Guys and Dolls (1959, 1965, 1980, 1992, 2019), Damn Yankees (1960, 1994), The Music Man (1962, 1968, 1982, 1998), My Fair Lady (1966, 1975, 1987), The Sound of Music (1964, 1967, 1974, 1986, 1996, 2007), Carousel (1960, 1989), Cinderella (1972, 1990, 2019) and Anything Goes (1964, 1990). In 1990, Rainbow Stage presented its first original production, the musical revue Say It With Music, "put together by Manitobans for Manitobans" featuring songs from The Wizard of Oz, The Music Man, Kismet, Gypsy, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, and other musicals. Company The company, officially Rainbow Stage Inc., is a registered charitable organization. Formed on April 30, 1993, it is governed by a board of directors and managed by 7 full-time staff. Rainbow Stage features Canadian actors, musicians and production team members, many of whom are hired locally. Stars for some productions include the directors John Hirsch and Peggy Jarman Green; the conductors Filmer Hubble and Eric Wild; the singing actors Evelyne Anderson, Len Cariou, Ed Evanko, Cliff Gardiner, Morley Meredith, and Bill Walker; the chorus director James Duncan; and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet artistic director Arnold Spohr. Other Canadian performers at Rainbow Stage have included Jan Rubeš, Roma Hearn, Catherine McKinnon, and Wally Koster. The 2011 production of Hairspray featured American actor George Wendt in the role of Edna Turnblad. In 2018, Rainbow Stage made a revenue of CA$2.8 million—2% coming from sponsorships, 3% from government (municipal, provincial, and federal), 8% from donations and fundraising, and the rest from earned income (i.e., ticket sales, concessions, souvenirs). References External links Official website