‘It’s a pivotal moment’: Plan to modernize Pantages Playhouse unveiled

A community group has unveiled a plan to help restore the former Pantages Playhouse in Winnipeg. Jon Hendricks has more.

The group hoping to stage the Pantages Playhouse’s next act has unveiled plans to transform the vaudeville-era theatre into a modernized concert hall.

The Performing Arts Consortium (PAC) and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) released its initial design plan Tuesday, which would reopen the 1,100-seat venue as the Pantages Theatre with a multi-million-dollar refresh.

“We’ve been on a long journey on this. It’s a pivotal moment,” said Curt Vossen, a director with PAC and chair of the WSO.

The plan is a culmination of months of work.

A team of architects, theatre design and acoustic experts, digital and AV consultants, mechanical engineers and construction management specialists mapped out a design to update the century-old hall to house a modern-day symphony orchestra, as well as professional and community performing arts groups.

The proposed design would add a deeper and wider stage, an orchestra pit, stage rigging, and modernized electrical and mechanical systems - all while preserving beloved historical elements of the century-old theatre.

“Transforming a vaudeville theatre into a first-class concert hall is not an easy challenge, but with the highly experienced team of consultants and a visionary client, I’m confident we will achieve that goal,” said Brent Bellamy with Number TEN Architectural Group, which led the design team.

Pantages revamp comes with $55 million price tag

Bockstael Construction costed the design, estimating it could come with a $55 million to $60 million price tag.

PAC and WSO hope half will be paid for between all three levels of government, with the private sector making up the rest.

Vossen said they have raised nearly $15 million so far.

“Once we secure $25 to $30 million in overall pledged support, including from government, we will greenlight the project and launch our major capital campaign.”

The city has already chipped in.

It donated $837,500 in January for the renovation through its Downtown Arts Capital Fund.

A spokesperson for Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham told CTV News Winnipeg on Tuesday the city is facing significant budget pressures right now, so any major capital investments must be carefully considered alongside other priorities.

“But this is an exciting project for downtown and the local arts community, so the Mayor is willing to consider options for how the city can support it,” the spokesperson said.

A backstage look at Pantages’ century-plus history

Pantages last dropped its curtain in 2018.

The city, which has owned the venue since the 1940s, put out a call for proposals for the century-old theatre, which is designated as a national and provincial historical site.

It was eventually sold to private buyers in 2019 for $530,000, but by 2022, the building was acquired by PAC. The non-profit was initially formed in the ‘90s to steward the theatre for community use on behalf of the city.

Once it acquired Pantages, the organization assembled a group of benefactors who agreed to support a proof-of-concept for the redesign.

WSO also signed a long-term agreement to be the managing tenant of the theatre. It was a familiar role, as the symphony previously managed community usage of the space during its final years of operation.

Once the new theatre opens, WSO has pledged to rehearse and perform many of its programs there.

WSO executive director Angela Birdsell believes Pantages will offer the symphony street visibility to serve the community any time of day or night, while freeing up the Centennial Concert Hall, its current home, to offer a more diverse array of commercial shows.

“Like our five major cultural institutional partners, the time has come for the WSO to have its own home—a right-sized hall and acoustics for our traditional offerings and the many other creative projects we present,” she said.

- With files from CTV’s Jon Hendricks and Kayla Rosen