welcome

AUGUST 2025 | VOLUME 254

AUG 11-24

Treat Yourself

I guess these officially count as the dog days of summer. We only have a few weeks to go before Labour Day, and before four companies plus the Fringe Festival kick off the fall theatre season—the earliest, busiest start I can remember. But there’s no shortage of theatre action out there right now: four Bard shows, two TUTS shows, The Play That Goes Wrong and The Lion King. Attendance is strong: the Arts Club’s Mousetrap and the Firehall’s History of Motown have both been held over. And see all the subsidiary events below. Enjoy the rest of the summer. And treat yourself to live theatre.  

See our On Now page for everything running almost to the end ofthe month. Be sure to look for the BUY TICKETS buttons. And plot your theatregoing through September with the launch of the fall season on our Coming Soon page.

Theatre lovers, theatre students, theatre historians and casual readers are invited to browse our ARCHIVES pages. Read 1000+ reviews of what you may have seen or missed over the past two decades of Vancouver-area theatre.

Important Note: The BUY TICKETS Button on our PREVIEW and REVIEW pages is strictly a convenience for theatregoers. Click on the button and get direct access to the company’s box office for that show. Vancouverplays gets no cut or commission from your ticket purchase. 100% of the money goes directly to the theatre company.

South Asian Arts presents the Monsoon Festival, Aug. 7-17 at various venues in Vancouver and Surrey, including theatre, dance and music performances. Info at https://www.monsoonartsfest.ca/.

Bard on the Beach’s special events continuethis summer: Wine Wednesdays, Aug. 13, Sept. 10; Bard Explored talks with SFU’s Paul Budra, Aug. 16; Family Day, Aug. 17;Bard Club, Aug. 27. https://bardonthebeach.org/special-events/

Ensemble Theatre presents Monstrosity: Summer Play Reading Festival at the Jericho Arts Centre. The plays are Jeff Ho’s Chinese adaptation of Antigone, Hannah Moscovitch’s Little One, and Frances Dowlabadti’s My Roommate Ahriman. Aug. 21-24. Pay What You Can. Info and tickets HERE.

Langley’s Theatre in the Country is holding auditions for its Christmas show, It’s a Wonderful Life, Aug. 24-25. https://theatreinthecountry.com/auditions/

Pi Theatre’s Provocateurs Performance presents La Marée Noire (The Black Tide) by Fleuve | Espace Danse from Quebec, Aug. 25 on Spanish Banks Beach, 3:30 and   7 pm. https://www.pitheatre.com/shows/maree-noire

Perry Ehrlich’s Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! musical theatre summer camps conclude with three performances of Law Law Land, Aug. 27-28 at the Norman Rothstein Theatre. $18 at https://www.showpass.com/law-law-land/

Pacific Theatre presents Comedy Weekend at PT, an evening of stand-up with Charlies Demers and Jacob Samuel. Sept. 12-13. Tickets & info at https://pacifictheatre.org/show/the-comedy-weekend-at-pt/#tickets. 

The Arts Club’s 13-play 2025-26 season plus 3 touring productions includes a new version of A Doll’s House and musicals Kimberly Akimbo and Come from Away. www.artsclub.com

The Cultch’s rich new season features 18 shows from Australia, Toronto, New Zealand, Hungary, Halifax, Amsterdam, the UK and Vancouver. https://thecultch.com/ticket-packages/#shows

The Firehall Arts Centre’s 8-show season of theatre and dance includes plays by Robert Chafe and Drew Hayden Taylor, and the acclaimed English, about Iranians preparing for an English proficiency exam. www.firehallartscentre.ca

United Players’ 5-play 2025-26 season at Jericho Arts Centre includes Shaw’s Arms and the Man, Metamorphoses, and a new play by Aaron Bushkowsky. www.unitedplayers.com

Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre's 8-show season includes three Arts Club shows and three musicals. https://evergreenculturalcentre.ca/theatre-series/

Deep Cove’s First Impressions Theatre’s 4-play season includes Jake’s Gift, Art, and two musicals. https://www.firstimpressionstheatre.com/#nextseasontitle

Metro Theatre’s 7-show season includes plays by Neil Simon, Tom Stoppard, a couple of musicals, a Jane Austen adaptation, and a Christmaspanto.  https://metrotheatre.com/

North Van’s Presentation House Theatre is staging 6 shows, 3 for kids. Among them Jovanni Sy’s A Taste of Empire and Cheyenne Rouleau’s Fat Joke. https://www.phtheatre.org/2025-2026-season/

Richmond’s Gateway Theatre’s 4 shows include Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson and Annie. https://www.gatewaytheatre.com/

Touchstone Theatre’s 4 shows include remounts of Women of the Fur Trade and Gertrude & Alice plus Munish Sharma’s Danceboy. www.touchstonetheatre.com

Broadway Across Canada’s 5-musical season at the Queen E Theatre includes MJ (the Michael Jackson musical) and old faves Les Misérables and Mamma Mia. https://vancouver.broadway.com/

Pacific Theatre’s abbreviated fall season will have only two full stage shows: a remount of Will Eno’s Wakey, Wakey and their Christmas Presence plus a few special events while they try to find a new venue. www.pacifictheatre.org

UBC Theatre’s new season includes a remount of Women in the Fur Trade, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, and Ibsen’s Peer Gynt. https://theatrefilm.ubc.ca/news/announcing-our-2025-2026-season/

The new Studio 58 season includes Romeo & Juliet, a new play by Ami Gladstone, and Something Rotten. https://students.langara.ca/studio-58/current-season/index.html

The Improv Centre is offering classes in improv at all levels. Info HERE.

Enjoy,

Jerry