Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment

History of Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment

Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment is dedicated to teaching, sharing, and celebrating artistic expression for Portage and district through programs, performances, and exhibitions in a welcoming, supportive community environment. We are the artistic hub of the community, providing an inclusive environment where all people can experience, learn, create, and celebrate the arts.

In January 2019, two organizations became one. Portage Community Centre Inc. (who ran the William Glesby Centre) and Portage & District Arts Council (who ran Portage & District Arts Centre) amalgamated to become Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment.


From 1977 to 2019, the Portage & District Arts Council provided the citizens of Portage la Prairie and the surrounding area, opportunities to become involved in the artistic life of the community. The Portage & District Arts Centre provided a wide range of art activities for children, adults, and arts groups in the visual, expressive, and performing arts. The classes and workshops were geared to various levels of expertise and in some cases raising the level of our amateur artists to professional status. In turn, these artists became instructors and spread their creative energy to others. The vision of the Portage & District Arts Centre was to be recognized as a leading arts organization essential to our community.


The William Glesby Centre is the home of Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment. Originally, it was operated by Portage Community Centre Incorporated (PCCI).
In 1989, several community groups, businesses, and citizens of Portage la Prairie and the surrounding rural municipality made a financial commitment to fulfill a dream of creating a cultural and performing arts centre. It continues to operate as a first-class, multi-use theatre.