When it was shortlisted for the 1998 Governor General's Award for Drama, the jury said of Selkirk Avenue: "Quintessentially Canadian in its content, the play's appeal resides in McManus's skill in drawing us into the particular and varied lives of inhabitants of Winnipeg's North End over 75 years, and in doing so, speaking to all of us."
“Selkirk Avenue. It’s just one of those Winnipeg things. Say the words and a picture comes to mind. What better way, then, to tell the story of Selkirk Avenue than through the eyes of a photographer? It’s a beautifully written show, touching, and angry, and sad and wise all at once. It’s also very funny, and very ‘right’ in the way fiction can sometimes come closer to the truth than fact.” —Winnipeg Sun