Rainbow Stage
2015 Main Street in Kildonan Park R2V 2B9 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Thank you to each and every person who supported Rainbow Stage throughout our Pot of Gold Campaign. We wanted to share this short video to celebrate the success of the Campaign and to share the results with you! We are over the rainbow with gratitude.

Rainbow Stage's second Community Update is now posted on our website. These updates are a new initiative through which we share with the community the work we are doing to make our organization more transparent and accountable, as we foster growth within our company that promotes diversity, inclusivity, and equity in Rainbow Stage’s operations and programming. Please follow the link below to read the full text of Rainbow Stage's Community Update #2.... https://www.rainbowstage.ca/communityupdates/

Calling all emerging artists! This March, artsUNITE/UNITÉ des arts is launching a very exciting, online artist residency program and they are accepting applications from artists across Canada. So, we thought we would help spread the word to the artists in our community! Check out their post below for more information, or click the following link for the full residency details and directions on how to apply:... https://www.artsunite.ca/call-for-artists-unmute/N The Submission Deadline is February 5, 2021, so don't wait to send in your application!

DID YOU KNOW: In honour of their Centennial Anniversary, The Winnipeg Foundation is this year's lead sponsor of the Centennial River Trail at the Forks? NOT ONLY THAT, but they are running an amazing weekly contest to help local charities win a $1,000 grant!... How can YOU help RAINBOW STAGE be one of their weekly winners? 1. Visit The Forks and find a gold coin location on the River Trail. 2. Take a selfie at a gold coin location. 3. Post your photo on your social media, follow The Winnipeg Foundation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, and tag your photo with @wpgfdn and #TWF100. 4. Tell them the local registered charity of your choice - this is where we are hoping that you will think of Rainbow Stage They will randomly choose 5 winners each week! For the full Contest rules and regulations, visit: https://www.wpgfdn.org/centennial-river-trail-contest/

Rainbow Stage is now hiring for the position of Executive Director! Please follow the link below to read the complete job posting: https://www.rainbowstage.ca/new-positions/...

What do we LOVE about theatre? We love getting to share music and stories with YOU! Which is why on LOVE THEATRE DAY we couldn’t resist sharing this photo from our 2019 production of STRIKE! The Musical. We can’t wait to be back under the dome, making magical musical memories with all of you once again! STRIKE! The Musical... Director: Sharon Bajer Choreographer: Stephanie (SAM) Manchulenko Music Director, Conductor: Jesse Grandmont Set & Properties Designer: Douglas Paraschuk Lighting Designer: Scott Henderson Sound Designer: Emily Porter Costumes provided by Harlequin Costume Co. Performers pictured (L to R): Dane Bjornson, Jonah Hiebert, Elena Howard-Scott, Cory Wojcik, Andrea del Campo, Shiloh Hiebert, Maiko Munroe, Josh Bellan, Malacai Hiebert, Liam Naughten

Rainbow Stage’s first community update is now posted on our website! These updates are a new initiative through which we will share with the community the work we are doing to make our organization more transparent, accountable, diverse, inclusive and equitable. To read all about our current actions, new initiatives in development and next steps, please click here:... https://www.rainbowstage.ca/communityupdates/

We would like to congratulate our long-time board member and decades-long supporter Campbell McIntyre on receiving the honorary Theatre Champion Award earlier this month at the Winnipeg Theatre Awards. Campbell’s love affair with Rainbow Stage began when he and his now-wife, Lorraine attended the 1966 production of My Fair Lady. Since then, Campbell and the McIntyre family have shown immeasurable support to Rainbow Stage. As volunteers, patrons, board members, donors and fund...raisers, Campbell and his family have been instrumental in helping our company to mature and grow for over four decades. A Rainbow-sized CONGRATULATIONS to you, Campbell! You will always be an important and cherished member of the Rainbow Stage family! Here is Campbell's acceptance speech from this year's virtual awards ceremony that was held on November 2, 2020!

Repost- @coopervint Can you Spot the Bernie? #rainbowstage #berniesmittens

In honour of WORLD KINDNESS DAY we want to thank everyone who has contributed to our Pot of Gold Campaign so far. Thanks to your random acts of kindness this summer and fall, we are excited to have reached the purple level of our rainbow! THANK YOU to all of our Pot of Gold Contributors! https://www.rainbowstage.ca/contributors/... If you would like to DONATE to the Pot of Gold Campaign, visit the link below. Tax receipts are available for donations $20 and above. https://www.rainbowstage.ca/pot-of-gold/ You can also contribute by purchasing a LEGACY LEAF at https://www.rainbowstage.ca/legacy-leaves/ Contribute if you can, or just randomly do something kind for someone today! Happy WORLD KINDNESS DAY everyone!

Welcome 2021! May this new year usher in a time of health and happiness. Happy New Year from all of us at Rainbow Stage... Please note that our Office will be closed from December 31 - January 3

Rainbow Stage has made the decision to postpone our General Auditions and our Actor’s Intensive until 2021. Despite our excitement for these upcoming programs, we feel this is the proper course of action to take in order to ensure the health and safety of our artists, community and staff. Please stay tuned by subscribing to our e-newsletter or follow us on social media to be the first to hear of any new developments. ... Rainbow Stage

Apology From Rainbow Stage Re: Our Statement Against Racism in the Theatre Rainbow Stage deeply apologizes for the pain our statement against racism has caused in the community. We recognize the impact the statement has had is one of disappointment and damage. Thank you for reaching out to us through letters, emails, and phone calls to inform us of our mistakes. We take responsibility and are committed to correcting them.... In our statement, we failed to recognize past and present racist behaviour. We apologize for the racism, racial caricatures, tokenism, cultural misrepresentation, and cultural appropriation that has existed on our stage and behind the scenes. We acknowledge the hurt this has caused members of the Indigenous community, the Black community and all People of Colour (the IBPOC community) over the last 66 years and we are committed to ensuring actions and decisions like these never occur within our organization again. In our desire to communicate how committed and excited we are about developing new works as a part of our programming, the words we chose were hurtful. We are grateful to our community for communicating how words such as 'non-traditional programming’, 'measured risks', and others are injurious and dangerous. We did not understand this, but now recognize that using out-dated phrases like these make IBPOC members feel othered, devalued, and excluded. We take responsibility for this and will ensure that the words we choose when we communicate speak to the equality and equity we seek to create in our company. We did not properly consult with members of the IBPOC community or the Professional Association of Canadian Theatres (PACT) on our statement. This was an egregious oversight and we deeply regret not taking the crucial steps to educate ourselves prior to speaking on this most important issue. The Rainbow Stage family deserves a revised statement that includes meaningful consultation. This revised statement will address specific plans to diversify our board and administration, our education, outreach and professional development initiatives, and the art we present on our stage. Rainbow Stage will announce the details of anti-oppression training for our board and staff on or before October 31st, following consultation with PACT and its members. Further, we will commit to releasing a plan for moving forward at that time. Thank you for caring for us, sharing your feelings, and offering thoughtful advice so that we may correct our mistakes and begin the process of healing. We sincerely ask for forgiveness from our community; especially those individuals and communities we have directly impacted. Rainbow Stage is fully committed to learning, addressing essential change and being the strongest ally we can to ensure that transformation happens within our company. With gratitude and deepest respect, The Executive Committee of the Board of Rainbow Stage Julie Eccles, Executive Director Carson Nattrass, Artistic Director

Today we take time to remember those who came before us, those who served and continue to serve. Lest we forget.

On June 22, 2020, Carson Nattrass, the Artistic Director of Rainbow Stage, participated in a Winnipeg Theatre Roundtable to discuss systemic racism and its impact on Canadian theatre workplaces. Since then, Carson has been working with the Executive Director and Board of Rainbow Stage to articulate Rainbow Stage’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and a new commitment to making Rainbow Stage a safe place in all ways for all of the Rainbow Stage theatre community. **** ...Musicals are miracles that require a confluence of artists to bring them into existence. They are collaborative by nature and celebrate humanity's capacity for communication. Rainbow Stage has not been and is not perfect. But we are working hard to be the brightest rainbow we can be, by looking inward, reaching out, and listening to others so as to make the richest harmony we can as a community. To read the FULL STATEMENT, please visit our website: www.rainbowstage.ca

Being an outdoor theatre hasn’t stopped Rainbow Stage from holding productions in the dead of a Winnipeg winter! The historic Pantages Playhouse has served as a venue for a number of Rainbow winter productions over the decades, but our first ever Christmas production took place in 1987. Anne of Green Gables ran at the Pantages Playhouse from December 19, 1987 to January 2, 1988. Directed by Alan Lund (the Director/Choreographer of the original Charlottetown production), Rain...bow’s version of the Canadian musical theatre classic also featured costumes designed by Taras Korol and Wall of Fame member Evelyne Anderson in the role of Marilla Cuthbert. Do you remember seeing a Rainbow Stage show at the Pantages? Share your memories in the comments below!

We would like to extend a Rainbow-sized THANK YOU to everyone who attended the Pot of Gold Benefit Concert last night! From the delicious picnic boxes put together by Prairie's Edge, to the spectacular musical performances, it was a joyous evening that celebrated everyone's shared love of musical theatre and our very special stage in Kildonan Park. THANK YOU! Your love and support have left our hearts a-glow. ... Photographer (Image 2 & 3): John Woods, Winnipeg Free Press

Thank you to the Winnipeg Free Press for this lovely article on yesterday’s Pot of Gold Benefit Concert! It was magical to be back under the dome again!

We are ‘over the rainbow’ to announce that the Pot of Gold Benefit Concert is officially SOLD OUT! We cannot wait to see you all back under the dome this weekend! Please note that as the event is sold out, there will be no walk-up sales available. Would you like to support Rainbow Stage, but missed out on getting a ticket? Contribute to our Pot of Gold campaign and you will be instrumental in bolstering the financial stability of Rainbow Stage in 2021 and beyond!... Visit www.rainbowstage.ca/pot-of-gold/ to help us fill the pot of gold at the end of our rainbow today!

Did you know that in the past costumes for Rainbow Stage productions were often designed and created right at the stage? In the #EarlyYears these costumes were often designed by Wall of Fame member, Taras Ted Korol, who was costumer designer for a multitude of Rainbow productions, including My Fair Lady in 1975. In his design concept for My Fair Lady’s famous Ascot Scene, Korol imagined eleven actresses in grand over-sized hats, however none of the appropriate size could b...e sourced in the city. The solution: Korol and local artist/prop designer Arthur Aubin, developed a new technique where hundreds of pounds of clay and celastic were sculpted into the fantastic headpieces that you can see here!

Artisic Director, Carson Nattrass, chats with CBC's Marcy Markusa about our NEW 2020. Thank you CBC Manitoba for this wonderful support!

Did you know? A variety show style benefit concert was the first event to mark the official opening of Rainbow Stage as a company in 1955. Now, 65 years later - we're at it again!... Pot of Gold Benefit Concert and Picnic Join us to celebrate our past, present and future and help fill our Pot Of Gold for the financial stability of Rainbow Stage moving into 2021 and beyond! Sunday, September 13th at 6:30pm Concert tickets: $30 per person Concert and Picnic bundle: $65 per person Picnic boxes provided by Prairie's Edge. More details found at www.rainbowstage.ca/benefit-concert or by calling 204-989-0888, Monday - Friday 10-4pm

Check out these historic articles from 1952! Announcing the build of our theatre in Kildonan Park.

Rainbow Stage Pot of Gold Benefit Concert September 13, 2020 @ 6:30pm, doors open 5:30pm Rainbow Stage in Kildonan Park Enjoy a physically-distanced evening under the dome complete with performances from some of Manitoba’s top musical theatre performers who will sing you down memory lane! The concert will be approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.... Concert Tickets Only: $30 (per person) limited seating available Picnic & Concert Bundle: $65 (per person) Picnic boxes provided by Prairie’s Edge. FOR TICKETS: www.rainbowstage.ca/benefit-concert Or call 204-989-0888 Join us to celebrate our past, present and future and help fill our Pot Of Gold for the financial stability of Rainbow Stage moving into 2021 and beyond! For full concert and picnic details, including performers and what’s in each picnic box, please visit www.rainbowstage.ca/benefit-concert

When did Rainbow Stage get its iconic domed roof? After several seasons of poor weather, a triodetic dome was constructed over the theatre in 1970-1975. In 1986, the final phase of the three-phase expansion project was completed. A fly gallery, carpentry and paint shops, classrooms and expanded change rooms were added to enhance the facility. A commemorative plaque and a replica of the original stage arch were erected in front of the building in 1988 but has since been remov...ed in 2019 due to decay and weathering. #EarlyYears #ShareYourRainbow #RainbowStage See more

Today, we opened our venue to patrons taking part in our first Interactive Tours! Guests were led through our historic facility by a team of amazing creative minds. Special Guests: Rob Herriot (Director), Paul De Gurse (Music Director), Brian Perchaluk (designer), Johnny Schur (crew), Chris Seida (crew), Brittany Hunter (performer), and Carson Nattrass (Artistic Director) - welcomed patrons into the behind-the-scenes world of what goes into creating a production. Typical...ly kept hidden from the public, guests were able to get an up close view of set designs, costumes, props and even got a performers-eye-view from the stage. Missed out? Don't worry! Tours will also be held Wednesday, August 26 at 11AM and 2PM. Tickets available for $20 per person at www.rainbowstage.ca/interactive-tour or by calling 204-989-0888 10-4pm Masks are not mandatory but are strongly encouraged. Limited capacity available.