The Purple Room

Beginning in March 2013, the Purple Room became a creative "home" for countless musicians, comedians, dancers, poets, and fans alike. With basically no budget and a dream, slowly but surely Winnipeg's "Best New Thing" (The Uniter, December 2013) started to add some touches that made it look and feel like a real venue and theatre, while never losing the rough-around-the-edges charm that made it feel so comfortable.

During that time, Frame Arts Warehouse was not only a physical home to this weird creative space, but also a significant part of its identity. The creative energy of a building full of artists most definitely fuelled the artistry on stage. Unfortunately, as the space grew from a largely rehearsal room into a venue, it became apparent that we needed to move out of the back of 318 Ross Ave. and find a new location.

So now, the Purple Room is in the process of securing a new location in the exciting East Exchange, adjacent to the city's theatre district as well as a number of exciting new initiatives that promise to revitalize the neighbourhood -- and we hope our project is one of those initiatives!

Our plan with the new venture is to provide a slightly larger (but still intimate), fully accessible space, with new amenities such as a café open from morning 'til night serving excellent coffees, teas, other beverages, and small baked goods; accessible washrooms that won't result in long line-ups; top-of-the-line sound and lighting systems; and the ability to sell a few adult beverages. Along with this will come the option to host more prominent and more interesting events -- we want to host more theatre, dance, and comedy to go along with all the great music Purple Room 1.0 was mostly known for. However, one thing we absolutely don't want to do is our "weirdness". There was something special about that room at the back of Frame Arts Warehouse, and our #1 goal is to try -- as organically as possible -- to recreate that feel in our new home.