History
The theatre originated with the Manitoba Theatre School started by the Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC) in 1960.
In 1972-1973, MTC shut down the school, and a group spearheaded by Colin Jackson and Charles Huband founded the Manitoba Theatre Workshop (MTW) to take its place. The organization operated out of the old Grain Exchange building on 160 Princess Street in downtown Winnipeg.
Originally the Manitoba Theatre Workshop was oriented toward a younger audience, but in 1975, the first adult productions were performed at MTW. These were presented by Confidential Exchange, a studio theatre group of local actors formed in 1974.
In 1981, the workshop changed its name to the Prairie Theatre Exchange.
1982-1983 was an all-Canadian season of the PTE, featuring five world premieres, three of which were by Manitoba playwrights. This emphasis on local plays resulted in a $20,000 loss.
The 1986-87 season was a milestone for the PTE. The theatre announced a balanced budget of $1.2 million, the first time that it had surpassed $1 million.
From 1987 through 1989, the Prairie Theatre Exchange completed a move into Portage Place Mall, with the opening play at the new location on October 12 of 1989. The new facility cost $3.5 million, comprised 42,500 square feet (3,950 m2), and the new theatre seated 364.
In August 2001, the Prairie Theatre Exchange performed overseas for the first time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, with an all-aboriginal cast.
In May 2004, the theatre launched the Carol Shields Festival of New Works. The festival featured staged readings of 21 new plays by 19 Canadian playwrights.
In 2007, the Playwrights Unit was established with seven local playwrights to use PTE as a base and resource for the following 18 months.
As of April 2007, the total number of plays presented since 1973 reached 278. 131 of these were original works.
Read more about this topic: Prairie Theatre Exchange
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