Rainbow Stage drops puck on summer season

The Colorado Avalanche may have just won the Stanley Cup but Winnipeggers aren’t going to have to wait until the fall for the return of Canada’s favourite winter pastime. 

Rainbow Stage presents “The Hockey Sweater” — a musical adaptation of the timeless Roch Carrier story — under the iconic dome nestled in the heart of Kildonan Park. 

“It’s unlike any other show that we’ve ever done,” says Rainbow Stage Artistic Director Carson Nattrass. 

In addition to acting, singing and dancing, the cast of 17 will (roller) skate their way through this uniquely Canadian production, which premiered in Montreal in 2017 as a celebration of the city's 375th and Canada’s 150th anniversaries. 


Set in 1946, the musical brings a modern retelling and expansion of the original tale of an Eaton’s mail order gone wrong. A Toronto Maple Leafs jersey is delivered to a young Quebecois boy in the heart of Montreal Canadiens’ territory who is forced to wear it by his mother, and prays for its desecration by 100 million moths.

“That’s where the story ends,” says Nattrass. “But the musical takes it all the way through to its final conclusion which is what happens when you push through these identity issues to accept that it’s not what you wear that matters but what you put inside your head.” 

An adaptation that is sure to connect with multiple generations — from those who are familiar with the book or National Film Board of Canada animation — to those experiencing the story for the first time in musical form, which Nattrass describes as “timeless” and a return to what great works strive to do. 

“You’re meant to come in, see a show that you don’t know anything about and then you leave humming the tunes… it’s a musical you’re soon to know and love.” 

Learn more about the production in the full conversation with Carson Nattrass; the stellar cast — including the leads who range in age from 8 to 15 and represent the next generation of incredible talent to perform under the dome; and the supportive community that has made this production possible. 

“The Hockey Sweater” runs from June 30 through July 17.

Visit: www.rainbowstage.ca for tickets and more details!