welcome

JULY 2026 | VOLUME 265

 

JUNE 29-JULY 12

Exceptin’ Alice …

Summer theatre will be in full swing by the end of these two weeks. All four Bard on the Beach shows will be up, both Arts Club shows, both TUTS musicals, Ensemble Theatre’stwo festival plays, and a full range of performances at the Improv Centre. You can see plays in open air, under tents, in elegant indoor theatres, and in a repurposed beachside black box. It’s an Alice’s Restaurant kind of summer for theatre in our soccer-mad town. You can get just about anything you want.

Our On Now page shows you everything running through mid-July. And plot your theatregoing through August on our Coming Soon page. Be sure to look for the BUY TICKETS buttons.

Important Note: The BUY TICKETS Button on our PREVIEW and REVIEW pages is strictly a convenience for theatregoers. It offers 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.

Theatre lovers, theatre students, theatre historians and casual readers are invited to browse our ARCHIVES pages. Read 1100+ reviews of what you may have seen or missed over the past two decades of Vancouver-area theatre.

Congratulations to Bard on the Beach artistic director Christopher Gaze on his trifecta: the publication of his memoir, The Road to Bard: A Legacy of Shakespeare on Canada’s West Coast, and his appointmentsto the Order of Canada and the Order of the British Empire. Well done, Chris!

Theatre for Living’s David Diamond presents a free theatre workshop on “belonging” for positive mental health at the Mad Pride Festival, Gathering Place Community Centre, July 2, 10 am-5 pm. https://connectionsalon.ca/

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre invites applications for vActory 2026, a mini-performance series for Asian artists. Three successful applicants will receive a $2500 presentation fee and more. Deadline: July 6. Info and applications HERE.

Glitch Theatre invites you to Post 750, 750 Hamilton St. on July 25, 1-5 pm for Parallel Play. Bring something to do or just hang out. Free. RSVP & info HERE.

Gateway Theatre invites you to True Voices: Pride Storytelling & Tea, a free Pride Month event with 5 LGBTQ2S+ storytellers. July 30, 7 pm. Reserve HERE.

The Cultch’s15-show season includes work by Vancouver’s Search Party, Rumble, ITSAZOO, Theatre Replacement (a new East Van Panto), Pi, Urban Ink, and a new musical from Amiel Gladstone & Veda Hille, plus from Toronto Michael Healey’s Rogers v. Rogers and a new Daisy Theatre from Ronnie Burkett. www.thecultch.com

The Arts Club’s 14-play 2026-27 season plus 4 plays on tour is highlighted by Death of a Salesman, John Proctor Is the Villain, plus new work and musicals, including Les Misérables. https://artsclub.com/season-tickets/packages

Coquitlam’s Evergreen Cultural Centre’s 8-play season features three Arts Club plays on tour including Little Women, a remount of English, and Little Shop of Horrors. www.evergreenculturalcentre.ca      

Metro Theatre’s 7-play season includes musicals Avenue Q and Hello, Dolly!, an Agatha Christie and Our Town. www.metrotheatre.com

North Van’s Presentation House Theatre’s 7-show season includes a Latin American Arts Family Festival, The Sword in the Stone, Where the Wild Things Are, plus plays by Alexandra Lainfiesta and Joey Lespérance. www.phtheatre.org

United Players’ 5-play 2026-27 season features Canadian plays by John Lazarus and Vern Theissen and Beckett’s Happy Days. www.unitedplayers.com

Richmond’s Gateway Theatre’s 5-play season includes musicals Songs for a New World and 42nd Street plus Michele Riml’s She Shoots, She Scores! www.gatewaytheatre.com

Broadway Across Canada’s 5-play musical season at the Queen E opens with & Juliet and includes Hamilton and musical adaptations of Mrs. Doubtfire and The Bodyguard. https://vancouver.broadway.com/#season-26-27

First Impressions Theatre’s 4-play 2026-27 lineup in Deep Cove includes Norm Foster’s Lunenberg, Krystal Dos Santos’ History of Motown plus Little Shop of Horrors. https://firstimpressionstheatre.com/next-season/

Studio 58’s 4-play season includes Yvette Nolan’s The Birds, Twelfth Night and Amélie the musical. www.studio58.ca

Mitch and Murray Productions’ first 3-play season features work by Amy Herzog, Jonathan Spector and David Mamet. https://mitchandmurrayproductions.com/

At its new Granville Island home, Pacific Theatre offers 3 shows including Ins Choi’s Son of a Preacherman and a new play by Jill Daum. HERE.

Registration is open for Carousel Theatre’s Summer Drama Day Camps for ages 6-12. Details HERE.

Perry Ehrlich’s Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! musical theatre program has sessions July 7-30 and Aug. 4-27, M-F 9:00-4:00. https://theimpresario.ca/gotta-sing-gotta-dance/

Register your kids for Theatre Replacement’s East Van Panto-themed summer camps for ages 5-13. Info HERE.

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

Gateway Theatre’s Gateway Academy in Richmond offers year-longacting and musical theatre classes for ages 6-18. gatewaytheatre.com/academy.

CTORA Academy is offering fall classes in musical theatre for kids, teens, adults and young musicians. https://ctora.ca/academy

Enjoy,

Jerry