Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/514227
60 O U R S O U L I S O N D I S P L A Y Discover the work born of Manitoba's character and passion for culture and performance. Step into our galleries, halls and exhibits to find expressions both personal and profound. Get a closer look at some of our province's fine art. Watch the video at travelmanitoba.com/art-and-arts. art & arts CURTAIN Call More than two dozen Association of Community Theatre companies are active throughout the province , from Dauphin's Theatre Amisk to the Pinawa Players and Brandon's Seven Ages Productions, which presents Godspell and Into the Woods during the 2015-16 season. ACT members join forces to show a festival in a different community each spring. Winnipeg-born thespian Len Cariou, Gordon Pinsent, William Hurt, Fiona Reid and Keanu Reeves are among the stars who've graced the stage at Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre. Granted a royal designation by Queen Elizabeth II, the 57-year-old theatre produces 10 plays on two stages from October to May. Brand new western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance opens the 2015-16 season Oct. 15- Nov. 7, followed by the madly entertaining Alice Through the Looking Glass Nov. 26-Dec. 19. Royal MTC and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet are collaborating on a national search for the stars of musical Billy Elliot, opening in January 2016. Along with a winter Master Playwright Festival, Royal MTC presents the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival — the second-largest in North America — July 15-26. More than 150 local, national and international companies perform in downtown venues. An outdoor stage, street market, beer garden and food venues pop in and around Old Market Square for the duration. Prairie Theatre Exchange presents a dynamic slate of new and contemporary works by Canadian playwrights from Oct. - May, along with special events including the Carol Shields Festival of New Works in mid-May. French-language plays are the specialty at Cercle Molière, the oldest continuously operating theatre in Canada, while the outdoor Rainbow Stage celebrates its 61st season at the domed outdoor stage in Kildonan Park with three musicals this summer: West Side Story June 4-19, Les Misérables July 9-24 and Sister Act Aug. 13-Sept. 1. Shakespeare in the Ruins has always been one step ahead of the crowd. Promenade along with the players as they set the scene for Antony and Cleopatra June 3-27 at a dramatically different outdoor venue — the ruins at Trappist Monastery Provincial Heritage Park. > actmanitoba.mb.ca > seven-ages-productions.com > mtc.mb.ca > winnipegfringe.com > pte.mb.ca > cerclemoliere.com > rainbowstage.ca > shakespeareintheruins.com WINNIPEG FRINGE THEATRE FESTIVAL Arts ART & 60