Manitoba Theatre Unveils Tribute to John Hirsch and Tom Hendry

In honour of its 50th anniversary, the Manitoba Theatre Centre will officially unveil a commemorative sculpture of its co-founders, John Hirsch and Tom Hendry, on Monday, November 10 at 1:30 pm. In attendance will be Babs and Gail Asper, artist Ruth Abernethy and MTC's founding General Manager, Tom Hendry.

"For fifty years MTC has been surprising everyone - including me - and now they've done it again! Bowled over originally, I've recovered enough to want to express my thanks - and John's - for the remarkable ways MTC has found to honour our contribution as co-founders," said Hendry. "I want to thank Steven Schipper, Zaz Bajon, the Board of MTC, the people of Winnipeg and the theatre audience of Winnipeg for everything they've done. I also want to thank particularly Babs Asper, who was there for us on Day One as a hard-working publicity volunteer; Gail Asper, for upholding her family's tradition of public service; and the Johnston Group, for their participation in the remembrance of the late Marjorie Johnston who gave us her enthusiasm and energy as a founding Board Member."

The life-size bronze, called ‘Imagine, MTC', features John Hirsch standing with arms extended behind Tom Hendry, who is seated in one of two theatre seats, while they discuss their vision for MTC. A plaque adorns the empty seat next to Tom. The sculpture was permanently installed outside of MTC's box office entrance on Friday, October 24. It was generously supported by Babs and Gail Asper and Michael Paterson, and the Johnston Group in honour of Marjorie Johnston, former MTC Board President.

"It is wonderful to honour our founders with this permanent tribute that recalls the creation of MTC," said Zaz Bajon, MTC's General Manager. "I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Babs, Gail, Michael and the Johnston family for making it possible for the images of John and Tom to watch over the entrance to our theatre, connecting the past to the present and future as we move into our 51st season."

‘Imagine, MTC' was created by Canadian portraiture artist Ruth Abernethy, who is known for a variety of works, including the life-size bronze of Glenn Gould in front of the CBC studios in Toronto and the larger-than-life ‘Stratford Montage' in Stratford, Ontario. In addition to working at MTC as the Head of Properties for the 1980-81 season, Ruth worked with John Hirsch after his arrival at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival as Artistic Director in 1981.

John Hirsch and Tom Hendry founded the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 1958, with the goal to create great professional theatre with mass appeal. Sharing this goal were first Board President, Donald Campbell, and many tireless volunteers, who were instrumental in the early days of MTC with helping John and Tom realize their vision. After spending its first decade in the Dominion Theatre, MTC opened at its present Market Avenue location on November 2, 1970. Since its founding, MTC has produced more than 500 plays and hundreds of well-known actors have appeared on its stages. Today, MTC produces 10 plays on two stages, a regional tour, the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, the Master Playwright Festival and a wide range of youth programming. Now, more than 50 years after John Hirsch and Tom Hendry envisioned a centre for theatre in Manitoba, MTC continues to do all they dreamed of - and more.