Manitoba Theatre for Young People
A Winnipeg theatre company and arts-education centre producing professional theatre, training programs, and outreach activities for children, teenagers, and families.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Manitoba Theatre for Young People (MTYP) is a Winnipeg-based theatre company and education organization dedicated to children, teenagers, families, and young performers. It operates from The Forks area of Winnipeg, where its purpose-built complex combines performance spaces, classrooms, production facilities, wardrobe facilities, rehearsal areas, and public-facing amenities. The organization is one of Canada's very small number of Theatre for Young Audiences institutions with a permanent home and is distinguished by offering a complete season aimed at teenagers as well as programming for younger children. The organization began in 1965 under the name Actors' Showcase and was incorporated in 1977. Its decisive artistic transformation occurred in 1982, when Leslee Silverman became artistic director and the company adopted a professional, youth-centred theatre mandate. During its earlier years, the theatre operated from Winnipeg's Gas Station Theatre in Osborne Village. In 1999, it moved to the Canwest Performing Arts Centre at The Forks, a facility subsequently known as the Shaw Performing Arts Center. The move gave MTYP a permanent institutional base for both theatre production and its expanding school programs. MTYP's core activity is the presentation of professional theatre for young audiences. Its season includes public performances and school shows, while selected productions tour in Winnipeg and elsewhere in Manitoba. The company has staged original and adapted works, plays for children, productions for teenagers, and projects addressing educational or social issues. Its first season as a professional theatre for young people, in 1982–83, included The Little Beast, Plum Pudding, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, School Yard Games, Crying to Laugh, Magic & the Supernatural in Shakespeare, and the child-abuse-prevention project Feeling Yes, Feeling No. Education is a major part of MTYP's identity. The Theatre School provides fall, winter, and spring classes, along with spring-break and summer camps. Instruction is available to children from approximately preschool age through adolescence and extends from introductory participation to pre-professional training. Teen participants can perform in the Young Company and Shakespeare Company, alongside other extracurricular and student productions. The school has been described as serving more than 1,600 children and teenagers. MTYP also provides drama workshops in schools and through provincial outreach activities. The organization has developed specialized access and cultural programming for Indigenous youth. Its Aboriginal Arts Program, also described as a free acting, performance, and film-training initiative for Winnipeg Indigenous youth aged 12 to 18, is led by theatre artist Ian Ross. Reference material identifies the program as serving more than 500 students and as one of the largest programs of its kind in Canada. Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth has supplied more than half of the program's funding, according to the cited reference material. MTYP's complex includes a reconfigurable black-box-style Main Stage with capacity for up to 315 people, a smaller multi-purpose and rehearsal hall, four classroom studios, production and wardrobe shops, a greenroom, dressing rooms, a box office, and a lobby. The facility is reported as measuring approximately 28,000 square feet, with a 5,270-square-foot theatre area and a 1,344-square-foot stage area. Attendance was reported to regularly exceed 100,000 annually as of 2012. The company has received recognition for its productions, its educational work, and the leadership of Leslee Silverman, while Pablo Felices-Luna has served as artistic director since 2014.
History
Manitoba Theatre for Young People traces its origins to Actors' Showcase, established in Winnipeg in 1965. The organization was incorporated in 1977, creating a more formal institutional framework for its activities. Its central identity as a professional theatre devoted to young audiences developed in 1982, when Leslee Silverman became artistic director. That change marked the beginning of MTYP's modern mission: producing theatre specifically for children and teenagers while connecting performance with education and community participation. The company's first season under this professional youth-theatre mandate was 1982–83. The program combined conventional plays and musicals with educational and socially purposeful work. It included The Little Beast, Plum Pudding, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, School Yard Games, Crying to Laugh, Magic & the Supernatural in Shakespeare, and Feeling Yes, Feeling No, a special project focused on child sexual-abuse prevention. This mixture of entertainment, literature, training, and public education became characteristic of the institution's broad approach to youth theatre. For many years MTYP operated from the Gas Station Theatre in Winnipeg's Osborne Village. The organization later gained a permanent home at The Forks, moving in 1999 into the Canwest Performing Arts Centre, now identified in reference material as the Shaw Performing Arts Center. The approximately 28,000-square-foot complex was designed to house both the theatre company and its school. It contains a reconfigurable Main Stage with seating for up to 315 people, a smaller hall used chiefly for rehearsals and multipurpose activities, four classroom studios, production and wardrobe shops, a greenroom, dressing rooms, a box office, and lobby facilities. This permanent base enabled MTYP to integrate professional production, training, rehearsal, and outreach more closely than a touring or venue-rental organization could. MTYP's performance work developed around a full annual season for young audiences, presented through public performances and school bookings. The organization also mounted productions that toured Winnipeg and communities elsewhere in Manitoba. Its programming has included works for early childhood and family audiences, plays for teenagers, adaptations, musicals, Shakespeare-related projects, and productions dealing with social or educational themes. The company became notable within Canada because it was one of only two Theatre for Young Audiences institutions identified as having a permanent residence, and because it offered a full season specifically for teenagers. Education has remained a second institutional pillar. The Theatre School runs seasonal classes and holiday programs, including spring-break and summer camps. Its instruction spans beginners through pre-professional students and includes performance opportunities through the Young Company and Shakespeare Company. Reference material states that the school serves more than 1,600 children and teenagers. MTYP also operates drama outreach in schools and workshops across Manitoba, extending the company's impact beyond its Winnipeg building. The theatre has pursued targeted programming for Indigenous youth through its Aboriginal Arts Program. The initiative provides free training in acting, performance, and film for Winnipeg Indigenous youth aged 12 to 18 and is led by theatre artist Ian Ross. It has been described as serving more than 500 students and as the largest program of its kind in Canada. Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth has supplied more than half of its funding, according to the reference material. The company's artistic achievements have received regional, national, and international recognition. Productions such as Comet in Moominland and Old Friends received significant attention, with Old Friends winning the Chalmers Award in 1998 and Comet in Moominland later receiving a Dora Mavor Moore Award and an invitation to open a season at New York's New Victory Theater. MTYP received the Human Rights Commitment Award in 2010 for its long-term contribution to human rights and social transformation. Silverman received several honours, including the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2011. Pablo Felices-Luna has been artistic director since 2014. The organization has also faced financial and governance pressures. Reference material reports an operating budget of $2.2 million in 2012, with revenue divided among fundraising, government grants, and earned income from tuition, tickets, and facility rentals. The same material states that the building cost $5.6 million, that a portion of the capital campaign remained incomplete, and that the organization carried facility debt. It also reports the embezzlement of more than $90,000 by a former finance and administration manager between 2006 and 2011, followed by legal action. These figures and events are historical and should not be treated as current financial data. MTYP remains an active Winnipeg cultural institution centred on youth performance, training, touring, and community access.
- 2014
Pablo Felices-Luna became artistic director
[1]Pablo Felices-Luna succeeded Silverman as artistic director.
- 2011
Leslee Silverman received Governor General's Performing Arts Award
[1]Silverman received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement.
- 2010
Received Human Rights Commitment Award
[1]MTYP was recognized for its long-term contribution to human rights and social transformation.
- 2007
Comet in Moominland receives international recognition
[1]The production was invited to open a season at New York's New Victory Theater and won a Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding Production in Theatre for Young Audiences.
- 1999
Relocated to The Forks
[1]MTYP moved from the Gas Station Theatre to the Canwest Performing Arts Centre, its permanent facility at The Forks.
- 1998
Old Friends wins the Chalmers Award
[1]MTYP's production of Old Friends received the Chalmers Award.
- 1992
Canadian Institute of the Arts for Young Audiences recognition
[1]MTYP became the first English-language theatre identified in the reference material as winning the Canadian Institute of the Arts for Young Audiences Award.
- 1982
Professional youth-theatre mandate established
[1]Leslee Silverman became artistic director and the organization developed into a professional theatre devoted to young people.
- 1982
First season under the MTYP model
[1]The 1982–83 season included plays, a musical, Shakespeare-related programming, and a child-abuse-prevention project.
- 1977
Incorporated
[1]Actors' Showcase was incorporated, establishing a formal organizational structure.
Products and positioning
A permanent, youth-focused Canadian theatre institution combining professional productions with accessible arts education, school outreach, touring, and specialized Indigenous youth programming.
Professional theatre · 1982
Main Stage season
MTYP's principal offering is a recurring season of professional productions for children, teenagers, schools, and families. Performances are presented to the public and to school groups, with programming designed for different age ranges and with a particular institutional emphasis on maintaining a full season for teenagers. The repertoire has included plays, musicals, adaptations, and socially engaged projects.
Theatre touring
Touring productions
The company presents selected productions outside its home venue, touring in Winnipeg and across Manitoba. Touring extends access to communities and schools that may not be able to attend performances at The Forks and forms part of MTYP's provincial outreach role.
Arts education
MTYP Theatre School
The Theatre School offers fall, winter, and spring sessions, as well as spring-break and summer camps. Courses serve children as young as three and continue through teenage and pre-professional levels. Students receive training in theatre and performance, with additional opportunities to participate in productions and extracurricular activities.
Youth performance training
Young Company and Shakespeare Company
These student performance programs provide advanced youth participants with practical experience in rehearsal and production. They are associated with MTYP's Theatre School and give teen performers opportunities to stage works, including Shakespeare-related material, in a structured ensemble setting.
Indigenous youth arts education
Aboriginal Arts Program
The program provides free acting, performance, and film training for Winnipeg Indigenous youth aged 12 to 18. Led by Ian Ross, it operates as a specialized MTYP division and has been described as serving more than 500 students. Its funding has included substantial support from Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth.
Community education
Drama outreach
MTYP delivers performance workshops at its theatre and in schools across Manitoba. The outreach work complements stage programming by using theatre as a practical educational and community-development activity.
Controversies
2012
Embezzlement by former finance manager
Reference material reports that Kathleen Owen-Hunt, MTYP's finance and administration manager at the time, embezzled more than $90,000 from the organization between 2006 and 2011. MTYP reportedly sued her and expected to recover part of the missing funds.
Marketing campaigns
- Capital campaign for the permanent facility
Winnipeg · Manitoba
MTYP undertook a capital campaign to help fund its permanent facility at The Forks. Reference material states that approximately $4 million was raised toward the reported $5.6 million construction cost.
Outcome. The campaign supported the move into the Canwest Performing Arts Centre in 1999, although the reference material states that part of the financing remained incomplete.
- Aboriginal Arts Program
Winnipeg · Manitoba
MTYP developed free acting, performance, and film training for Indigenous youth, with Ian Ross leading the program and Cultural Connections for Aboriginal Youth supplying more than half of its funding according to reference material.
Outcome. The program was reported to reach more than 500 students and to be the largest of its kind in Canada.
Brand decisions
1999
Move to a permanent facilityStrategyBackground
After operating for years from the Gas Station Theatre, MTYP required a more integrated home for productions, classrooms, rehearsals, and administration.
Action taken
The company moved to the Canwest Performing Arts Centre at The Forks, a facility built to house both MTYP and its school.
Aftermath
The move gave MTYP permanent performance and education infrastructure, while also creating long-term facility financing obligations.
Reported facility construction cost. $5.6 million (Historical facility project; year of move 1999)
1982
Shift to professional theatre for young peopleStrategyBackground
The organization appointed Leslee Silverman as artistic director and moved from its earlier Actors' Showcase identity toward a professional theatre mandate focused on children and teenagers.
Action taken
MTYP established a dedicated youth-theatre season combining productions, school performances, and educationally oriented projects.
Aftermath
The decision defined the organization's long-term identity and supported its later development as a permanent Theatre for Young Audiences institution.
Sources2 sources
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