PRODUCTIONS
Tom Crean – Discovering Antarctica, Heroic Tales of Scott, Crean & Shackleton
Tom Crean, the intrepid Antarctic explorer and one of Ireland’s unsung heroes, is brought to life in this dramatic and humorous solo performance by Aidan Dooley. Set during The Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration (1901-1916), you’ll hear the riveting stories of the only man who served alongside Scott and Shackleton in three of the most daring and challenging expeditions to the great white continent. Crean’s story is a testament of human fortitude against all the elements of the Antarctic.
(PAL Studio Theatre, 581 Cardero Street, Vancouver, Nov. 7 - 24)
Gay Ancestors
The performance celebrates queer and trans diasporic tales. By embodying ancestral teachings and rituals from diverse cultures, the performance invites audiences to delve into the depths of understanding love as a radical collective. With a focus on permission to fail, witness, and evolve, this play offers a transformative experience that honors the complexities of identity and community.
(Presentation House Theatre, North Vancouver, Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m)
Kid Koala's Nufonia Must Fall
This production is a live multi-disciplinary stage adaptation of Kid Koala’s graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall. A team of fifteen puppeteers, musicians, cinematographers and technicians bring the story to life at each performance. The stage is set up with over 20 miniature sets and 8 cameras. Under the direction of Oscar-nominated production designer K.K. Barrett (Her, Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich), each scene is performed, filmed and projected in real time onto a large screen above the stage. Kid Koala, accompanied by the Afiara String Quartet, performs his original score on piano and turntable. This is a dialogue-free, timeless love story that’s fun for the whole family.
(Massey Theatre, 735 Eighth Avenue, New Westminster, Nov. 15 - 16)
IndieFest
re:Naissance presents IndieFest, now in its fifth year, from Nov. 15–23, 2024 at various locations around Vancouver. IndieFest celebrates local creatives, amplifying IBPOC and LGBTQ2S+ artists, while pushing for innovation in live performance with genre-defying projects. This year’s theme, “Transformation and Transcendence,” invites audiences to engage with the world in new ways and encourages authentic personal growth. IndieFest opens with the world premiere of Eurydice Fragments by Luke Hathaway and Teiya Kasahara, an immersive show blending powerful vocal performances, dance, XR, and motion capture technology to explore identity beyond binaries. Programming also includes Ultra Violets by Alexandra Caprara and Future Mythologies, a showcase of three new works in development that aspire to redefine the future of storytelling. Early bird tickets for Eurydice Fragments are on sale now. All festival tickets on sale from Oct. 8.
(Various locations, Nov. 15 - 23)
I am 108
This performance is a Drag Queen Storytelling Time show featuring Juanita Bang Bang, a campy comedy queen who explores Paraguay's infamous number 108. Once used to discriminate against presumed homosexuals during Dictator Alfredo Stroessner's regime, this number has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community as a symbol of pride. Through extravagant performances, dazzling outfits, and heartfelt storytelling, Juanita Bang Bang illuminates the authentic experiences and challenges of the LGBTQ+ community in Latin America, resonating deeply with many immigrants
(Presentation House Theatre, North Vancouver, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m)
East Van Panto: Robin Hood
It’s a beautiful day in Trout Lake for Robin Hood and the Merry-Thems—or it should have been! Alas, the naughty Sheriff has other plans—the parks have been privatized! Now everyone, including the birds and animals, has to pay to use the park. A trip to the library to read up on their rights leads Robin and friends on a grand adventure to invade Britannia, to retrieve the keys to the city’s public amenities, and try to steal back our neighbourhood from the rich and powerful.
(York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, Nov. 20 - Jan. 5, 2025)
Studio 58 Presents: Linck & Mülhahn
"I do not want to look back on my life and know I held on to any shame.”
Studio 58, the professional theatre training program at snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College, presents the new queer play, Linck & Mülhahn. Fall in love with this historical, romantic and subversive story.
When charismatic Anastasius Linck meets Catharina Mülhahn, it’s love, and lust, at first sight. As Catharina fights against her mother’s desire for a traditional marriage in favour of her independence, Anastasius works to conceal his identity to stay alive. As the pair passionately explore gender and sexual identities, rigid 18th century society aims to tear them apart.
(Studio 58 at snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College, 100 West 49th Ave, Vancouver, Nov. 21 - Dec. 1)
Where the Wild Things Are
The wild rumpus is back! Jump right in and help Max transform his bedroom into the many landscapes of his adventures. Sail along together to the land of the Wild Things! This highly interactive production is a guided play experience, adapted from the timeless classic by Maurice Sendak.
After 20 years and more than 1,000 performances all around North America, this truly is classic piece of children’s theatre.
“Let your wild things out” for the first time, or again and again!
(Presentation House Theatre, 333 Chesterfield Avenue, North Vancouver, Nov. 22 – Dec. 1)
A Christmas Carol
Delight in the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge brought to life in this unique atmospheric and scenic reading of a beloved Christmas classic. Performed by Leslie Dos Remedios, along with recorded voices from the North Shore community, featuring live music performed by a full jazz band of talented students from Sentinel Secondary in West Vancouver. Festive fun for all ages!
(Presentation House Theatre, 333 Chesterfield Avenue, North Vancouver, Dec. 4 - 15)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
Carousel Theatre presents Kaleidoscope Theatre’s enchanting adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s classic. The White Witch has trapped Narnia in a perpetual state of winter with no hope of Christmas. Join Peter and Lucy for a magical adventure as they take you on a journey into this magical land. This timeless story invites us into a world of wonder to witness the battle between good and evil and the discovery of courage, friendship, and hope - a production to delight children and adults alike.
(Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St, Dec. 4 - 15)
Je viendrai moins souvent
Théâtre la Seizième's mainstage season.
Camille moves to Montreal at the age of 22. At the very same moment, Pauline, her 92-year-old grandmother, is moved to a long-term care facility. Both uprooted, losing their bearings. Their visits allow them both to encounter Pauline’s decline and her unraveling memories. The granddaughter decides to gather her grandmother’s words, allowing her to tell her story before she can no longer do so.
In this adaptation of her podcast Quelqu’une d’immortelle, Camille Paré-Poirier brings to life her last conversations with her grandmother. Between personal audio archives and unavoidable ethical observations, the Quebecois creator conveys in an intimate setting the inevitable and overwhelming nature of grief. An honest account of caregiving in the face of a healthcare system that has most definitely lost its grip.
In French with English surtitles every performances, except December 13.
(Studio 16, 1555 W 7th Ave, Vancouver, Dec. 11 - 14)
THE NUTCRACKER
Christmas has finally arrived at the Stahlbaum home. Family and friends are gathered around the Christmas tree in a festive night of dancing, gifts, and celebration. Young Clara receives a special gift from her mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer – a toy Nutcracker, which comes to life and takes her on a magical journey. See the beloved holiday story come to life on the Mainstage in a whimsical presentation by Ballet Victoria. A timeless musical score, beautifully imagined and executed choreography, brilliantly costumed dancers, and imaginative staging make this the ideal festive-family outing. For more than 20 seasons, Ballet Victoria has been an innovative company dedicated to originality. Artistic Director, Paul Destrooper and his company of 12 professional dancers have produced close to one hundred new works, and tour in Canada, the USA and Mexico.
(The ACT Arts Centre, 11944 Haney Place, Maple Ridge, Dec. 14 - 15, 3:00 p.m)
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, 2025)
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, 2025)
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, 2025)
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, 2025, 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, 2025)
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)
