PRODUCTIONS
Stage 43: Baskerville
BASKERVILLE: A SHERLOCK HOLMES MYSTERY
Stage 43
By Ken Ludwig
Directed by Dale Kelly
Get your deerstalker cap on — the play’s afoot! From multi-award-winning playwright Ken Ludwig comes a fast-paced adventure about everyone’s favourite detective solving his most notorious case. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson must crack the mystery of “The Hound of the Baskervilles” before a family curse dooms its newest heir. Watch as our intrepid investigators try to escape a dizzying web of clues, silly accents, disguises and deceit as five actors deftly portray more than 40 characters.
Does a wild hellhound prowl the moors of Devonshire? Can our heroes discover the truth in time? Join the fun and see how far from elementary the truth can be.
ABOUT STAGE 43
Stage 43 Theatrical Society is a not-for-profit community theatre group that has been producing quality, affordable theatre in the Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, and Port Moody area of British Columbia since 1983. They produce three shows each season at Evergreen Cultural Centre – one in October, one in January, and one in the spring. Stage 43 is part of the Theatre BC Fraser Valley Zone and a member of the Community Theatre Coalition.
Stage 43 is proud to call the Tri-Cities our home, and we continue to make their community connections a priority. #BePartOfTheMagic
SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE:
Adult: $30 | Senior & Student: $25
BOX OFFICE: 604.927.6555 | Open Monday – Saturday, 12 – 5PM
(Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, Jan. 16 - 25, 7:30 p.m + 3:00 p.m)
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival
Tickets go on sale today for the 20th PuSh Festival.
PuSh International Performing Arts Festival celebrates its 20th Festival, returning to Vancouver January 23 to February 9, 2025. For more than two decades, PuSh Festival has been the Lower Mainland’s signature, mid-winter cultural event delivering audacious, innovative, contemporary works of live art by acclaimed local, national, and international artists. This year’s festival features dynamic and radical genre-bending works in dance, theatre, multimedia and music at venues across the city.
PuSh 20 features more than 25 presentations including: 20 original performance-based productions; five animated parties and cabaret-style events; two film events; and two artist residencies, one of which will culminate in an open studio showing by international guest artists.
The Festival lineup is dedicated to inspired risk-taking and dynamic interdisciplinary collaboration with visionary works from 13 countries—including 3 world premieres and 8 Canadian debuts. In addition to a strong Canadian presence with 13 presentations, PuSh’s 2025 international projects include works by artists of Belgium, South Korea, Brazil, United Kingdom, Uruguay, France, Denmark, Italy, Taiwan, USA, Sweden, and Democratic Republic of Congo. PuSh’s commitment to diversity continues with 16 shows created by people of colour; 13 by female or gender non-binary artists; and 8 by 2SLGBTQIA+ artists.
(Venues across Vancouver, Jan. 23 - Feb. 9)
Polygraph
For its 50th season, Théâtre la Seizième invites you to travel through time and rediscover some of its emblematic plays through a series of staged readings.
In this adaptation of Robert Lepage's famous Polygraph, the police of Quebec City are on the hunt. A young university student was raped and murdered. The suspect, a close friend of the victim and the last person to have seen her alive, is subjected to a lie detector test, “the Polygraph.” While efforts are made to solve the case amidst the confusing leads, a film crew is making a movie about the murder. Polygraph is close to a police thriller, yet it plunges us into a philosophical labyrinth, a nightmarish funhouse of mirrors in which truth and falsehood blur to obscure reality. Can anything be done to uncover the truth?
Introducing Quebecois and Franco-Canadian dramaturgy in English to Vancouver audiences, Polygraph marks the first time Robert Lepage agreed to have one of his texts produced by someone else.
Performance in both French and English, in partnership with Pi Theatre.
(Studio 16, 1555 W 7th Ave, Vancouver, Jan. 24 - 25)
Someone Like You
Someone Like You
by Christine Quintana
An Arts Club Theatre Production
An Arts Club Silver Commission
Open-hearted Isabelle is a lifelong romantic, but modern love isn’t like a pop song or an old novel—or is it? When her best friend, Kirsten, embarks on a rebound romance, things get complicated as Isabelle’s “wingman” duties cross the line. This charming new comedy launches the mistaken identities of Cyrano de Bergerac into 21st-century Vancouver with millennial manifestos, dating apps, and the quest for self-love.
SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE:
Adults: $52 | Seniors: $44 | Students: $16
Save 20% with a Theatre Series subscription!
BOX OFFICE: 604.927.6555 | Open Monday – Saturday, 12 – 5PM
(Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, Jan. 28 - Feb. 1, 7:30 p.m + 3:00 p.m)
Studio 58 Presents - Heathers: The Musical
Studio 58, the professional theatre training program at snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College, presents Heathers: The Musical. Get ready to dive into the 1980s and relive your teenage angst!
“Dear Diary: My teenage angst bullsh*t has a body count.” You thought your high school was bad? At Westerberg High, a trio of popular girls named Heather mercilessly rule the school. Everything changes when underdog Veronica meets bad boy J.D., a new student with a violent streak. As the Heathers take Veronica under their wing, J.D. encourages her to blow up the social hierarchy. This hilarious and homicidal dark comedy will leave you craving a slushie.
(Studio 58 at snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College, 100 West 49th ave, Vancouver, Jan. 30 - Feb. 16)
De glace
Presented by Théâtre la Seizième, PuSh Festival and Vancouver International Children's Festival, as part of PuSh Festival 2025, Jan 31 – Feb 2, 2025.
Alternating performances in French and English.
In a frostbitten landscape, at the heart of the endless Norwegian winter, two young girls become fast friends. Love at first sight that ends abruptly, just as it is beginning: Unn disappears into a frozen waterfall, a colossal ice palace at the mouth of a lake. As for Siss, she stays with the living, clinging to the memory of her soulmate, against all odds. Meanwhile, the ice is melting…
L’eau du bain theatre company (White Out, La Chambre des enfants) breathes life into a true gem of Nordic literature, with this immersive, spellbinding experience. Using a sensory system that blurs the boundaries between audience and stage, this unique work immerses us in a passionate relationship that flows right into our skin!
(Roundhouse Performance Centre, 181 Roundhouse Mews, Vancouver, Jan. 31 - Feb. 2)
Wonderful Joe
When Joe and his dog Mister lose their home—and are faced with possible separation—they head into the world for one last grand adventure together. The world seems broken, but Joe sees magic in the mundane, beauty amidst brutality, and life in the lost and lonely. He and Mister encounter Mother Nature, Santa Claus, Jesus and the Tooth Fairy, witness a troupe of homeless players in a cardboard theatre, and show a disenfranchised teen how to jump over the moon in a playground rocket ship. This poignant love letter to imagination and hope is brought together with Burkett’s signature style of puppetry and solo performance, accompanied by a beautiful new score from John Alcorn.
(Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables, Feb. 4 - 23)
Dimanche
A family is about to spend their Sunday together, a family tradition. But the walls are shaking and the storm has only just begun. Amidst this climatic chaos, the protagonists absurdly attempt to maintain a normal family life. Meanwhile, three wildlife reporters are doing their best to document Earth’s last living species.
Using physical theatre, puppetry, video, and ingenious practical effects, Dimanche observes the ingenuity and stubbornness of humans as they try to preserve their day-to-day habits, despite the chaos of an ecological collapse.
(Vancouver Playhouse, Feb. 6 - 8)
World Premiere of Grandma. Gangsta. Guerrilla. by Abi Padilla
Join us for this hilarious and heartwarming tale that is not a traumatizing story about war crimes, dementia, or getting old. On the contrary, Grandma. Gangsta . Guerrilla. is a sprint down memory lane of a butt-kickin', bar-spittin', tough grandma who escapes the care home to be with her family. When our favourite Filipino grandma Lola Basyang goes missing, it's up to her grandchildren Nika and Jun-jun to bring her back to safety. Using their Lola's unfinished memoir, they find clues to her whereabouts, her full-of-beans origin story and the historical turmoil of their motherland. Reminiscent of their immigration stories, they reflect on what it means to maintain family ties in a Western society.
Presented by Ruby Slippers Theatre in association with the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, Presentation House Theatre, and Blackout Art Society.
(Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (Burnaby) & Presentation House Theatre (North Vancouver), Feb. 6 - 16)
Arts Club Tour: Someone Like You
Dive into 21st-century Vancouver with millennial manifestos, dating apps, and a quest for self-love.
Best friends Isabelle, verbose and open-hearted, and Kristin, vulnerable and loyal, have been through thick and thin since university. When Isabelle takes her “wingman” duties for Kristin’s rebound romance with Harjit a bit too far, feelings and friendships are fraught with complications. A millennial take on the mistaken identities of Cyrano de Bergerac and set in East Vancouver, Someone Like You is first and foremost a comedy and a love story, featuring intensely relatable characters and scenarios.
(The ACT Arts Centre, 11944 Haney Place, Feb. 8, 8:00 p.m & Feb. 9, 3:00 p.m)
À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou
For its 50th season, Théâtre la Seizième invites you to travel through time and rediscover some of its emblematic plays through a series of staged readings. Paying tribute to Quebecois dramaturgy this time again, this landmark text by renowned author Michel Tremblay presents four interpretations of the same tragedy.
Carmen returns to the family home where her sister Manon lives, a young woman who is obsessed with the tragic death of their parents. Ten years earlier, under the same roof, Léopold and Marie-Lou engaged in a merciless verbal battle that sealed the dreadful fate of their loveless marriage. As the two sisters confront their views of the past, their interactions reveal the contours of a nightmarish family universe from which only Carmen has managed to escape.
A family drama both complex and intimate, À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie-Lou pictures an era weighed down by the burdens of religion and unspoken truths.
In French, with English surtitles. Feb 21 -22, 7:30pm.
(Studio 16, 1555 W 7th Ave, Vancouver, Feb. 21 - 22)
We Don't Talk About Book Club
4 Friends from college have a monthly book club, but does anyone ever really talk about the book? Perfectionist Stay at Home Mom (SAHM) tries her best to keep her friends together, and discuss new things, all while her family takes her for granted. After their fourth moves away, she works to find someone new; much to the chagrin of her most apathetic friend who never reads the book. The new member is young and very annoying, that is until the SAHM’s best friend arrives…
Drama unfolds, new friends are made and everyone discovers a little more about who they are and who they wish they were.
(Surrey Arts Centre, 13750 88 Ave, Surrey, Mar. 14 - 16)
(Anvil Theatre, 777 Columbia St, New Westminster, Mar. 20 - 23)
Lentement la beauté
For its 50th season, Théâtre la Seizième invites you to travel through time and rediscover some of its emblematic plays through a series of staged readings.
Comfortably settled in his career, his relationship, and his family, an ordinary man accidentally attends his first theatrical performance. The experience leads to a profound and intimate upheaval within him. Awestruck, he gradually transforms his perception of the world and those around him. What if beauty were what makes life worth living?
With part of the original cast reprising their roles, Lentement la beauté is a powerfully evocative dramedy that offers an inspiring reflection on the meaning of daily life and the awakening to art, and a marvelous tribute to the imagination and wonders of the world.
In French, with English surtitles.
(Alliance Française de Vancouver, 6161 Cambie St, Vancouver, Mar. 21, 7:30 p.m)
Lapin blanc, lapin rouge
For its 50th season, Théâtre la Seizième invites you to travel through time and rediscover some of its emblematic plays through a series of staged readings.
A performer is standing on stage. They have just opened an envelope. They have never read the play inside and have no idea what is about to unfold. The first page of the text contains a list of instructions written by an Iranian playwright named Nassim. Nassim refused to perform his military service, and as a result, his passport was revoked. Unable to leave his country, he wrote this play to travel the world. Tonight, he speaks to you through the voice and body of a daring performer. Unpredictable and unforgettable, Lapin blanc, lapin rouge is a powerful tribute to the power of words.
In French, with English surtitles. May 23 - 24, 7:30pm.
(Studio 16, 1555 W 7th Ave, Vancouver, May. 23 - 24)
TOUCHSTONE THEATRE UNVEILS ITS 2024/25 SEASON WITH NEWLY APPOINTED ARTISTIC DIRECTOR LOIS ANDERSON AT THE HELM
Today, Touchstone Theatre revealed its 2024/25 season programming, a captivating lineup featuring four works from Canada/Turtle Island that evoke myth and legend across cultural traditions to examine lived experiences of displacement, migration, settlement, home, and identity.
The season announcement comes with the news of Lois Anderson’s recent appointment as Touchstone’s Artistic Director, leading the company as it continues to explore the nature and purpose of theatre that reflects and amplifies stories from Canada/Turtle Island.
(The Cultch, Gateway Mainstage, PuSh Festival, various Vancouver and Richmond venues, 2024/2025 Season)
WORKSHOPS
Adult Mime Workshop
ADULT MIME WORKSHOP
with Educator Joylyn Secunda
This workshop includes movement technique, collaborative group exercises, and embodied writing prompts to support students in creating their very own mime pieces. Our immersion in mime helps theatre artists working from all styles and approaches make clear, physical choices for the creation of environment, character, and story. We shape the performance space, as well as endow absent objects with weight, shape, texture, value, and power. We explore comedic timing, character-based comedy, conflict, lazzi, and exaggeration. The workshop will also explore conventions and aesthetic approaches that help the audience interpret and appreciate visual theatre. The pedagogy draws on Joylyn Secunda’s performance experience especially in mask theatre, mime, and puppetry, as well as intensive studies in Corporeal mime, pantomime, clown, and dance.
CLASS INFORMATION
January 11, 2025 | 10:30AM – 1:30PM
$35 minimum, pay-more-if-you-can
ABOUT OUR EDUCATOR
Joylyn Secunda is a physical theatre artist, actor, dancer, and puppeteer based in Vancouver. They have performed their solo physical comedy, The Moaning Yoni, 50 times in cities across Canada. They starred as Scrooge in A Wonderheads Christmas Carol (The Wonderheads), as Seek in Pop Pop (Presentation House), and as Zephyr in Crisis on Planet Z (Monster Theatre), and performed as a puppeteer in The Breathing Hole (National Arts Centre) and It’s Okay to Be Different (Mermaid Theatre). They are a BFA Acting graduate from UBC and have studied clown with John Turner (Mump & Smoot), puppetry with Peter Balkwill (Old Trout) in Banff, mime with Dean Evans (Cirque du Soleil), and devised theatre at Dell’Arte International.
REGISTER ONLINE OR AT THE BOX OFFICE:
604.927.6555 | Open Monday – Saturday, 12 – 5PM
(Evergreen Cultural Centre, 1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam, Jan. 11, 10:30 a.m)
