Garry Theatre

Read the history of the Garry Theatre on the Selkirk Museum!

Landmark Cinemas decided to permanently close the Garry Theatre in downtown Selkirk – along with three other single-screen theatres in Manitoba – knowing how important the theatre was to so many that had grown up watching movies in the Manitoba Ave. mainstay, the city decided to purchase it in order to secure the space to have an independent, community-led, non-profit corporation run it again in the future!

The City purchased the Garry to ensure that the future of the theatre aligned with the community’s vision.

In 2014, the City of Selkirk completed its Community Strategic Plan, which includes five key strategic priorities. The Plan calls for the creation of a vibrant, safe, and healthy community where residents have access to the best possible recreational opportunities, a revitalized downtown and are engaged in shaping the city’s future. Two years later, in 2016, the City finalized its Downtown Selkirk Renewal Strategy. The strategy aims to create a vibrant, safe and attractive downtown where people can live, work, shop and play. As part of this, the strategy emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the City’s historical buildings and revitalizing Manitoba Avenue East which started in 2018.

Based on these plans, the City has made major investments in improving the public realm along Manitoba Avenue East. Between 2019 and 2020, the City reconstructed the street to make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. Changes included enhancing active transportation facilities and lighting, bringing the road up to modern standards for accessibility, adding street trees, benches and planters.  Other improvements included developing two pocket parks with public seating, art, a public ping pong table, community healing garden, converting one-way traffic to two-way traffic, and changing angled parking to parallel parking. The reinvention of the Garry as a community-led space will build on this important work and help in the revitalization of Selkirk’s  downtown.

As part of the development of the business plan, the City along with Urban Systems is exploring case studies of other community theatres across the country for inspiration.

These include small, community-run theatres in small cities and towns like the Country Fest Community Cinema in Dauphin, the Strand Theatre in Melita, and the Boissevain-Morton Community Theatre in Boissevain. The case studies also include community-run and private theatres in larger cities like the Gas Station and Park Theatres in Winnipeg, the Westdale Theatre in Hamilton, the Gladstone Theatre in Ottawa, the Theatre Centre in Toronto, the Varscona Theatre in Edmonton, and the Rio Theatre in Vancouver.

Many of these theatres host a range of events and performances. These include classic movies, live theatre and music, dance performances, and live-streamed events like sports games and opera shows. Some examples, like the Park Theatre in Winnipeg and Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax are ‘black box’ theatres with adjustable furniture. This furniture allows the theatres to be reconfigured to host various private events like meetings, workshops, classes, art exhibits, and even socials and weddings! Some theatres are also supported by licensed bars and coffee shops. 

with this research, the  business plan was created. 

People were encouraged to share their visions and ideas through a survey and by attending open houses in November of 2022. 

We took the results of that survey along with extensive research and the help or Urban Systems and the business plan was born. 

the second round of engagement is available in August of 2023 for us to understand the willingness of the community to support the theatre based on what the business plan suggests is necessary for the theatre to re-open and remain open.