Explore Canada’s outdoor theatres

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/07/2023 (997 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Summer is the perfect time to head out on hikes, hunker down on beaches, or spend time at one of our country’s outdoor theatres. There’s nothing quite like taking in a stage show under the stars, starting right here in our own hometown.

Did you know that Canada’s largest and longest-running outdoor theatre is right here in Winnipeg? Rainbow Stage was created in Kildonan Park after the original bandstand, which had stood since 1917, was damaged by the flood of 1950. The idea surfaced to replace it with an open-air theatre, with construction beginning in 1951 and completed in 1953. The 3,000-seat theatre officially opened on July 7, 1954, with a variety show featuring the Ukrainian Youth Association, the James Duncan Chorus, the Jewish Community Choir, Eric Wild and his CBC Orchestra, and other local talent.

The new theatre was named Rainbow Stage after the long band of rainbow-coloured lights running along a wooden arch above the stage. The first musical performed there was Brigadoon in September 1955, kicking off a nearly 70-year tradition of professional musical theatre in Kildonan Park. The dome over the theatre was built in 1970 and further renovations were completed in 1975, with total seating reduced to 2,400. Today, Rainbow Stage typically programs one to three musical productions each year, as well as educational programs such as dance classes and artistic workshops.

In Vancouver, Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS) has been a popular attraction since 1940, when a group of local people first got together to produce operettas and musicals at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. The first season presented The Geisha, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and As You Like It. Over the years, TUTS has survived bad weather, bankruptcy, fire, and a global pandemic, and remains active today for generations of locals and tourists. It was an early inspiration for the creation of Rainbow Stage, whose organizers looked to TUTS as an example of what they’d like to see for outdoor theatre.

Canada’s largest outdoor stage is the Badlands Amphitheatre near Drumheller, Alta., in the heart of the Canadian Badlands. This natural amphitheatre, surrounded by ancient sandstone hills, has been a surreal setting for live theatre, concerts, opera, and movies for nearly three decades, with every seat offering excellent acoustics and unfettered views. The annual Badlands Passion Play put on here is a depiction of the story of the life of Jesus Christ, experienced by more than 270,000 guests over its 28 seasons.

Théâtre de la Dame de Coeur just east of Montreal is a unique outdoor theatre with an overhead roof and swiveling seats that give audiences the ability to turn and follow the action all around them. Its history dates to November 1975, when a group of actors from Montreal started a non-profit company to stage creative works. Its first giant puppet show was in 1979, at the junction of the Noire and Duncan rivers in the town of Upton. Today, Dame de Coeur’s world of giant puppets and puppeteers is alive and well, with annual shows and puppeteering classes that have become renowned throughout the world.

The 4th Line Theatre near Millbrook, Ont., is set against the rural landscape of Winslow Farm – the family homestead of its founding artistic director, Robert Winslow. For over 30 seasons, the theatre’s mandate has been to preserve and promote Canadian cultural heritage through regionally based, environmentally staged historical dramas. It has so far presented 42 original plays in an idyllic rural setting, sharing small-town stories that celebrate the history of the area, written by and about Canadians.