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British Columbia boasts a wealth of theatre troupes that stage beloved classics, thought-provoking new works, and everything in between, ensuring there’s something to please every type of theatregoer.
The Arts Club Theatre Company began as a private club for actors, musicians, and artists in 1958, then it opened its first stage in 1964—and helped to launch the careers of Canadian luminaries such as Michael J. Fox, Bruce Greenwood, and Ann Mortifee. The new season kicks off at the Arts Club’s flagship venue, the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, with Jersey Boys (Sep. 5 to Oct. 20); this crowd-pleasing musical tells the story of how a group of blue-collar guys from New Jersey became Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, one of the most successful musical acts of all time, with mega-hits such as “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Returning holiday favourite Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol (Nov. 14 to Dec. 24) reimagines Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol as a musical about the cold-hearted owner of a mining company town. The Three Musketeers (Jan. 16 to Feb. 16) bursts with romance, comedy, and extravagant sword fights. Defying genres, Cambodian Rock Band (Mar. 6 to Apr. 6) combines history, music, and dark comedy. Casey and Diana (Apr. 24 to May 25) is an uplifting play inspired by Princess Diana’s 1991 visit to Casey House, Canada’s first freestanding AIDS hospice, at the height of the AIDS crisis. Hit Broadway musical Waitress (June 12 to Aug. 3) tells the story of a small-town waitress who strives to win a pie-making contest, believing that will solve all her problems.
On the more intimate Granville Island Stage, Miracle on 34th Street (Nov. 21 to Dec. 29) delivers a seasonal sense of wonder for adults and children alike. The winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Primary Trust (Feb. 6 to Mar. 2) is a dramatic comedy about new beginnings. In the irreverent one-woman play Burning Mom (Mar. 27 to Apr. 20), a 63-year-old widow embarks on a solo road trip to Burning Man. As the longest-running play in history, Agatha Christie’s classic whodunit The Mousetrap (June 26 to Aug. 10) has kept audiences guessing for more than 70 years.
On the Newmont Stage, which is the smallest of the Arts Club’s three venues, The Gingerbread Men: A(nother) Holiday Cabaret (Dec. 5 to 22) delivers oodles of holiday cheer, along with seasonal songs that span doo wop, jazz, and barbershop.
The Firehall Arts Centre has been staging thought-provoking shows in the Downtown Eastside since 1982. The world premiere of Empty-Handed (Oct. 2 to 5), choreographed by Arash Khakpour, transcends boundaries both cultural and historical. Mixing storytelling, theatre, and musical interpretations of WWI soldier songs, Ridge (Oct. 26 to Nov. 3) looks at how the Battle of Vimy Ridge shaped Canada’s national identity. After a successful run last year, Ann Mortifee’s family musical Reflections on Crooked Walking (Nov. 30 to Dec. 22) returns for a pre-holiday engagement. Inspired by choreographer Joe Laughlin’s four decades as a dancer, I Remember… (Jan. 15 to 18) combines dance, storytelling, and video. Set in the 1800s but employing modern slang, Women of the Fur Trade (Feb. 8 to 23) is a fiercely funny satire. Live dance performance Enemy Lines (Mar. 12 to 15) explores a dark moment in this country’s history—and in the family history of the show’s choreographer, Mayumi Lashbrook—when more than 22,000 Canadians of Japanese descent were forcibly moved after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. The captivating Krystle Dos Santos leads audiences on a musical journey through Motown’s greatest hits in A History of Motown (Apr. 2 to 13). Set in 2016, during Vancouver’s (never-ending) housing crisis, three employees struggle to find homes for Syrian families in the comedic drama The Frontliners (May 1 to 11). In the one-woman show Inner Elder (May 21 to June 1), Cree artist Michelle Thrush recounts her transformation from a girl raised by alcoholics, who endured racist bullying at school, into an award-winning film and television actor.
Shows at Pacific Theatre—an intimate underground space that seats 128—all examine big questions about faith, purpose, and human beings’ place in the universe. Funny, subversive, and even absurd, Middletown (Sep. 18 to Oct. 6) focuses on the friendship between a longtime resident of the town and a new arrival. Two performers bring to life all the characters in J. R. R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy story The Hobbit (Nov. 13 to Dec. 21). With different performers every night, Christmas Presence 2024 (Dec. 15 to 23) embraces the holiday spirit in poems, prose, and songs. Lucas Hnath’s witty play A Doll’s House: Part II (Feb. 5 to 23) picks up 15 years after the events of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 play A Doll’s House. In the funny one-man show Things I Hide From Dad (Mar. 5 to 8), a child tries to obey his father—who is a preacher in a doomsday cult. Writer/performer Ins Choi explores the intersection of faith and art in his whimsical, heartfelt one-man show Ins Choi: Son of a Preacherman (Apr. 2 to 6). Staged in Pacific Theatre’s Chalmers activity room, Meeting (May 14 to June 7) is about five people attending a meeting for Co-Dependents and Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous.
The Cultch’s three stages are known for pushing the boundaries of theatre, dance, circus arts, puppetry, and comedy. At Historic Theatre, Raven Mother (Oct. 9 to 12) is a newly choreographed dance work from the Dancers of Damelahamid that honours the late Elder Margaret Harris. In Prism (Oct. 23 to 27), five dancers explore perception, illusion, and the invisible. Ronnie Burkett is back, with his marvellous puppets in tow, in Wonderful Joe (Feb. 4 to 23), which tells a seemingly simple tale about a man, his dog, and their grand adventure. Created by Niall McNeil, who identifies as an artist with Down Syndrome, Beauty and the Beast: My Life (Mar. 28 to Apr. 6) blends music, fantasy, and whimsy. In the provocative circus show N.Ormes (Apr. 24 to 27), two performers push the limits of their bodies—and of gender norms. The fetishization of Asian women is examined in the hilarious Love You Wrong Time (May 1 to 11), an interactive show that mixes music, stories, and stand-up comedy.
At York Theatre, As You Like It, Or The Land Acknowledgement (Sep. 25 to 29) provides a devastating—but hilarious—look at the reconciliation process between Indigenous peoples and colonial settlers in Canada. Be prepared to cheer for the handsome heroes and boo the dastardly villains in the wacky East Van Panto: Robin Hood (Nov. 20 to Jan. 5), the 12th annual all-ages panto set in Vancouver. Trickster tale Little Red Warrior and His Lawyer (Mar. 6 to 16) satirizes power, politics, and procreation. Children of God (Mar. 21 to 29) is a powerful musical about an Oji-Cree family whose children were forced into Canada’s heinous residential school system. Dance Nation (Apr. 23 to May 4) tells the story of a driven group of tween dancers, clawing their way to Nationals. The fun circus show Haus of YOLO (June 5 to 15) mixes couture fashion and sexy puppets—with entertaining results.
At Vancity Culture Lab, two friends/playwrights examine white supremacy, privilege, and patriarchy in the wake of a Black Lives Matter protest in Every Day She Rose (May 1 to 11).
The Cultch also stages special presentations off-site, at the Vancouver Playhouse. Duck Pond (Jan. 22 to 25) reimagines the romantic ballet Swan Lake as a quirky circus spectacular full of cheeky humour. Dimanche (Feb. 6 to 8) uses physical theatre, puppetry, video, and clever practical effects to tell the story of a normal family trying to live a normal life amidst the escalating climate crisis.
The 62nd season at Metro Theatre kicks off with the hilarious The Play That Goes Wrong (Sep. 14 to Oct. 5), a farce about the opening night of a show where absolutely nothing goes as expected. Directed by and starring beloved Vancouver actor Bernard Cuffling, The Woman in Black (Oct. 12 to Nov. 2) is a gripping Gothic tale filled with controlled horror. John MacLachlan Gray’s enduring Canadian musical Billy Bishop Goes to War (Nov. 9 to 30) is a one-man tour-de-force about a soldier’s exploits in the First World War. Just in time for the holiday season, the traditional British pantomime Cinderella (Dec. 13 to Jan. 5) is filled with comedy hijinks and musical numbers—and audience participation is expected. Sinners (Jan. 25 to Feb. 15) is a comedy about the owner of a furniture store who’s having an affair with the local minister’s wife. Get ready to feel the growing tension in And Then There Were None (Mar. 1 to 22), one of Agatha Christie’s darkest murder mysteries. In the darkly funny Arsenic and Old Lace (Apr. 5 to 26), Mortimer Brewster copes with his chaotic family: two elderly aunts who regularly poison people, a brother who thinks he’s Theodore Roosevelt, another brother with homicidal tendencies who uses plastic surgery to hide his identity. Created by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (May 10 to 31) celebrates hopes, dreams, and storytelling and includes hits such as “Any Dream Will Do.”
United Players of Vancouver’s 65th season starts with Chickens (Sep. 6 to 29), Lucia Frangione’s fun musical about a farmer, his hens, and his strained relationship with his wife. It’s a Wonderful Life: On the Air (Nov. 29 to Dec. 22) take the classic Christmas tale and performs it as a radio play, complete with inventive sound effects and old-fashioned ad jingles. In the drama The Height of the Storm (Jan. 17 to Feb. 9), a couple who have been together for half a century re-examine their relationship. Frustrated by their lives and their marriages, two young moms decide to seduce a series of lovers—while never leaving the house—in the hilarious Home Deliveries (Mar. 21 to Apr. 13). Oscar Wilde’s witty comedy An Ideal Husband (May 30 to June 22) centres on blackmail and political corruption. All United Players performances take place at Jericho Arts Centre.
The actors and crew of Studio 58 shows are enrolled in Langara College’s professional theatre training program. The new season begins with Baggage (Oct. 3 to 13), which examines the emotional baggage of failed relationships. Linck and Mülhahn (Nov. 21 to Dec. 1) explores gender and sexual identities in the rigid 18th century. Based on the 1989 film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers: The Musical (Jan. 30 to Feb. 16) blends hilarity and homicidal thoughts into a deliciously dark comedy filled with musical numbers such as “Dead Girl Walking” and “My Dead Gay Son.” Slasher (Mar. 27 to Apr. 6) is a multimedia movement piece that takes place on the set of a 1980s low-budget slasher film.
The 65th season of Vancouver Opera kicks off with a dazzling production of Johann Strauss II’s masterpiece, Die Fledermaus (Oct. 26 to Nov. 3), cheekily set in the 1960s; this opulent but charming comic operetta is filled with wit and unforgettable melodies. Rounding out the season are Jonathan Dove’s Flight (Feb. 8 to 16), an English-language opera set in an airport, and Giacomo Puccini’s tragic opera Madama Butterfly (Apr. 26 to May 4), about a Japanese woman abandoned by her new husband, an American naval officer. All performances take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
The new season at Gateway Theatre starts with a witty play on the MainStage: Yaga (Oct. 24 to Nov. 2) is a comedic murder mystery about legendary folk anti-hero Baba Yaga. Just in time for the holiday season, the musical Oliver! (Dec. 12 to Jan. 4) will have audiences humming along to spirited songs such as “Food, Glorious Food” and “Consider Yourself.” A fresh, vibrant adaption of Pride and Prejudice (Apr. 17 to 26) breathes new life—and laughs—into Jane Austen’s timeless story.
In Studio B, Otosan (Feb. 19 to 22) incorporates puppetry, projections of wild animals, and an original score to tell the story of a father and daughter who learn how to communicate their love; the play is perfect for children aged four to 11.
Shows mounted by The Royal Canadian Theatre Company take place at various venues throughout Metro Vancouver. Woman in Black (Oct. 24 to 27 at Surrey Arts Centre; Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 at Anvil Theatre) is a dramatic thriller about a man who hires an actor to help him tell his own story—and finds the lines between fact and fiction blurring. Knotted: Rapunzel’s Story (Dec. 20 to 29 at Surrey Arts Centre; Jan. 3 to 5 at Massey Theatre) is a traditional British panto filled with corny jokes, singalong songs, colourful costumes, and wacky fun. In the world premiere of We Don’t Talk About Book Club (Mar. 14 to 16 at Surrey Arts Centre; Mar. 20 to 23 at Anvil Theatre), a perfectionist tries to keep her book club together after one of the club’s members moves away.
Founded in 1944, the White Rock Players’ Club mounts shows at the Oceana PARC Playhouse. This season’s lineup includes The Murder Room (Oct. 3 to 20), Cinderella Panto (Dec. 4 to 29)—the troupe has mounted a Christmas pantomime every year since 1954—Casablanca (Feb. 13 to Mar. 2), Little Women (Apr. 24 to May 11), Lend Me a Soprano (June 12 to 29), and A Year With Frog and Toad (Aug. 6 to 10).
First on the lineup for the 2024/25 season at the Evergreen Cultural Centre is Songs for Nobodies (Sep. 24 to 28), a one-woman show that celebrates the music of Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, and Maria Callas. Sexy Laundry (Oct. 29 to Nov. 2) is about a couple trying to rekindle their love life after 25 years of marriage and kids, not to mention expanding waistlines and receding hairlines. The one-man show Roof (Nov. 12 to 16) weaves together stand-up comedy and physical theatre in its examination of mental health, addiction, and homelessness. Someone Like You (Jan. 28 to Feb. 1) is a modern adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac that’s set firmly in Vancouver—one character even owns a craft brewery in East Van—and features a generous dose of millennial existential angst. Shield Maiden (Feb. 18 to 22) uses humour and warmth to address topics such as sexism, gender bias, sexual freedom, and trauma. Ring of Fire (Mar. 11 to 15) is a theatrical concert filled with eternally popular Johnny Cash tunes such as “I Walk the Line.” The one-man show The Knitting Pilgrim (Apr. 8 to 12) by actor and knitter Kirk Dunn features storytelling and image projection—and three enormous knitted panels that resemble religious stained-glass windows. In the comedic drama The Frontliners (May 13 to 17), three employees work long hours while battling bureaucracy, fending off journalists, and dealing with do-gooder groups during their quest to find homes in Vancouver’s challenging rental market for refugee families from Syria.
Since 1976 the Belfry Theatre has produced hundreds of plays, the majority of them Canadian. The new seasons starts with From Alaska (Sep. 17 to Oct. 13) by Quebecois playwright Sébastien Harrisson, which uses magic realism in its depiction of a retired librarian being held hostage by a tough-talking teen. In 1939 (Oct. 29 to Nov. 24), Indigenous students at a residential school learn unexpected lessons from Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well. Just in time for Christmas, Mom’s the Word: Talkin’ Turkey (Dec. 3 to 22) is filled with holiday stories both hilarious and heartwarming from the five fearless women of the Mom’s The Word Collective. Behind the Moon (Feb. 4 to Mar. 2) by Vancouver author/playwright Anosh Irani focuses on the very different life experiences of three Indo-Canadian men, all fathers: a cook, his boss, and a cab driver. If You Could Read My Mind: The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot (Apr. 22 to May 18) is a musical event filled with songs by a Canadian icon.
Since 1929, Langham Court Theatre has been producing a mix of traditional and modern works—more than 500 shows in all, and almost 3,000 performances. The 2024/25 season starts with Ravenscroft (Sep. 25 to Oct. 13), a darkly comedic psychological drama about an inspector called to investigate a death who finds himself confronted with five alluring but dangerous women. The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley (Nov. 13 to Dec. 1) resurrects Jane Austen’s beloved Pride and Prejudice characters in a yuletide sequel penned by the authors of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley, an equally delightful creation. Now and Then (Jan. 29 to Feb. 16) is a magical romantic comedy about regret. An Inspector Calls (Mar. 26 to Apr. 13) takes place during the seemingly routine inquiry after a young girl’s suicide, in which all of the family becomes implicated. Send Me No Flowers (June 25 to July 13) centres on a hypochondriac who gets his affairs in order, writes his own eulogy, and even buys cemetery plots for himself and his wife—and his future widow’s future second husband.
Since 1978, Theatre Inconnu has been staging thought-provoking but affordable shows. Significant Other (Sep. 18 to Oct. 5) is a bittersweet comedy about a gay man who struggles to fill the void after his best friends—all women—start pulling away after finding their own Mr. Rights. This Much I Know (Nov. 26 to Dec. 14) is about a tenured psychology professor whose wife vanishes; the play explores themes of self-acceptance. All Theatre Inconnu shows are staged at Paul Phillips Hall.
Canada’s longest-running prison theatre company has been going strong since 1981. Each autumn, the incarcerated artists of William Head on Stage put on a show—building self-confidence and improving their mental health in the process. Theatregoing members of the public can watch this year’s production of Hatched (Oct. 11 to Nov. 2) in the prison gymnasium. Located a 50-minute drive from downtown Victoria, William Head Institution is a minimum-security federal prison for men. Audience members must be aged 19 or older, leave all belongings outside the prison, show photo ID, and submit to a security check.
Chemainus Theatre mounts shows that examine redemption, love, truth, hope, and the human spirit. The Piano Teacher (Sep. 27 to Oct. 20) is about a classical pianist who finds herself unable to play music—or even touch a piano—after suffering a devastating tragedy, but then she meets an unconventional piano teacher. Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley (Nov. 22 to Dec. 22) is set two years after Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice ends, and this time, bookish sister Mary is the heroine destined to find true love.
The goal of New Vintage Theatre is to bring contemporary theatre to Kelowna. The Rocky Horror Show (Oct. 10 to 19 at Mary Irwin Theatre) pays homage to classic B movies in the sci-fi and horror genres—in the most hilarious and over-the-top way possible. In Death Trap (Oct. 23 to 27 at Black Box Theatre), a washed-up playwright contemplates killing his student to get his hands on a script that’s sure to be a Broadway hit. A Kelowna Christmas Carol (Nov. 27 to Dec. 7 at Rotary Centre for the Arts) puts a British Columbian spin on Charles Dickens’ redemption tale. The Comeback of the Christmas Belles (Dec. 4 to 7 at Black Box Theatre) is a hilarious seasonal comedy that features lives music.
Western Canada Theatre is dedicated to providing Kamloops with professional live theatre. At Sagebrush Theatre, The Woman in Black (Oct. 10 to 20) is a spine-chilling story about the blurring of reality and the supernatural; this riveting play ran for decades in London. Always a crowd-pleaser, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (Nov. 21 to Dec. 8) features memorable songs such as “Be Our Guest.” Liars at a Funeral (Jan. 23 to Feb. 2) is darkly funny Canadian farce about a dysfunctional family who gather for a funeral, only to discover that the family matriarch being honoured isn’t exactly deceased yet. In the trickster fable Little Red Warrior and his Lawyer (Feb. 20 to Mar. 2), an Indigenous man stays at the home of the court-appointed lawyer who bailed him out of jail—and attracts the amorous attention of the lawyer’s wife. Pride and Prejudice (Apr. 3 to 13) is a playful version of Jane Austen’s beloved romantic tale.
At Pavilion Theatre, in the hilarious Juliet: A Revenge Comedy (Mar. 4 to 9), Shakespeare’s tragic heroine decides she doesn’t actually want to die for a boy she met just two days earlier. One woman with a powerful voice—and a backing five-piece band—performs a soulful cabaret concert in Motown Get Down (Apr. 29 to May 4).
Since 1963, Powerhouse Theatre has been staging live theatre in Vernon. A Christmas Story (Nov. 27 to Dec. 7) is based on the classic movie of the same name, which tells the tale of a nine-year-old boy obsessed with getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, despite every adult he meets (including Santa!) warning that he’ll shoot his eye out. In Ophelia Chooses (Feb. 19 to Mar. 1), a feminist playwright enters the world of Hamlet and teaches Shakespeare’s tragic heroine that she controls her own fate. The powerful and engrossing drama Radium Girls (Apr. 30 to May 10) was inspired by the true story of Grace Fryer, one of the many women in the 1920s who contracted radiation poisoning after working in a factory painting radium onto watch dials and hands.
