Architects Applaud WSO and PAC Vision for Pantages Playhouse Renewal

By Brent Bellamy, Associate + Creative Director 

June 10, 2025

I know I speak for everyone at Number TEN Architectural Group and the entire consultant team, when I say that we are proud and honoured to be part of this journey with the Performing Arts Consortium of Winnipeg (PAC) and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO).

The first time we put pencil to paper and started dreaming about the opportunity to transform the Pantages Theatre into a new home for the symphony and Winnipeg’s performing arts community, it was the summer of 2010. We didn’t even know the Jets were coming back yet.

Different concepts and ideas have come and gone, but the vision always remained the same: to give one of Winnipeg’s most important cultural organizations a new home, a prominent public face in the city, and a new connection to its cherished community.

Winnipeg was once a city of theatres — the Capital, Walker, Met, Orpheum, and the Pantages among many others. We are fortunate to have a few still standing. A century ago, Winnipeg’s Pantages was the starting point of the Pantages vaudeville circuit that included more than 80 venues across North America. This building is now one of only six original Pantages Theatres still standing on the continent.

The renovation of the Pantages will restore its legacy as a place that brings us together.

Its opening night in 1914 featured juggling acts, comedians, musicians, and a woman who danced in a steel cage full of lions. This venerable stage would go on to host renowned performers ranging from the Three Stooges and Buster Keaton to Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and every Canadian rock band of the 1980’s. The Pantages Theatre hosted the first ever jazz concert outside of the United States, and the first performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. One can only imagine what the list will look like in its second century.

Transforming a vaudeville theatre into a first-class concert hall is not an easy challenge, but with a highly experienced team of consultants and a visionary client, I’m confident we will achieve that goal. We are all united by the dream of having a thousand people soaking in the magnificent music of the symphony while being enveloped by the magnificent architecture of this National Historic Site.

The smaller venue will create an intimate relationship between performers and audience, and the carefully restored, lavish plasterwork and ornate sculpture will evoke an emotional connection to the space that will elevate and enrich our connection to the music. 

Theaters are often introverted buildings, but our vision is to turn this one inside out. Large glass walls will open the building up and allow the activity within to spill out onto the surrounding streets and sidewalks. On a cold winter evening, the warmth and energy of the theatre will radiate across the neighbourhood, becoming a beacon in the downtown, and a visible celebration of the arts in our community.

The sophistication of the theatre space will be pulled out into reimagined public amenity spaces that focus on providing an immersive guest experience that redefines a night out at the symphony or any other performer or organization that will bring the space to life. The convenience of modern new washrooms and large coat check will support a series of elegant new lounge and social spaces that weave throughout the building and out to a rooftop patio. These spaces will be seamlessly connected by a new central elevator and dramatic feature staircase rising through a grand central atrium. The new Pantages Playhouse will stand prominently on Main Street as the gateway to the theatre district, establishing a new centre of gravity in the Exchange.

As a catalyst for downtown Winnipeg’s journey towards urban renewal and prosperity, the Pantages will bring new life to the neighbourhood, attracting people back to the city centre — a permanent celebration of Winnipeg’s vibrant arts community and new home for one of its most important cultural institutions.