welcome

OCTOBER 2026 | VOLUME 268

 

OCT 5-18

Get thee to a theatre – and don’t forget to vote

These two weeks are among the busiest in our theatre calendar with 20 different shows running all across the Lower Mainland, most of the work new and locally created. We also have a handful of big-time musicals and intense American dramas. They may be assholes running the US but American theatre is still absolutely vital. These are the final weeks we’ll be listing all the local companies’ 2026/27 seasons (see below). It’s not too late to grab season’s tickets and not too early to think about holiday gifts. Hats off to PM Carney but the theatrical economy needs pumping, too. And please don’t forget to vote in the upcoming municipal and provincial elections. Vote for the parties and candidates who vocally, explicitly support the arts and the inclusive values that our theatre community stands for.

Our On Now page shows you everything running to mid-October. And plot your theatregoing through mid-November 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 -- browse our ARCHIVES pages. Read 1100+ reviews of what you may have seen or missed over the past two decades of Vancouver-area theatre.

In place of The Horse of Jenin, which The Cultch has had to cancel a second time because of ongoing problems getting Alaa Shehada a Canadian visa, they will be screening the film Palestine Comedy Club at the York Theatre, Oct. 9, 7:30 pm and Oct. 10, 2:30 (pwyc) & 7:30. $20. https://thecultch.com/event/palestine-comedy-club/

Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre presents the vActory Mini-Performance Series, featuring new works from Khalil Alomar, Helen Jiang, and Erika Mitsuhashi. Oct. 9-10 at What Lab, 1814 Pandora St., 7:30 pm. By donation. https://vact.ca/vactory-2026/

CTORA Productions invites you to bid on the Beyond the Performance online auction in support of their Young Artist Fund. Bids close Oct. 10. https://ctora.ca/productions/beyond-the-performance

The Cultch has announced that on Oct. 13its Vancity Culture Lab is being renamed the Christopher Wooten Stage in honour of the founder of The Cultch, Chris Wooten. Excellent decision, guys.

The Firehall invites you to support the theatre by bidding for one of four pairs of Bruno Mars tickets for his BC Place concert on Nov. 20. Info & bids HERE. Bids close Oct. 15.

Upintheair Theatre in assoc/w What Lab presents The Array: Supermassive Black Hole, featuring new creations by danielle Mackenzie Long and Shion Skye Carter, Jarin Schexnider, Plastik Theatriks, and UpInTheAir Theatre. Oct. 21-23, 7:30 pm at What Lab, 1814 Pandora St. www.upintheairtheatre.com

Presentation House Theatre presents a Singalong Screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Oct. 24, 2 and 7 pm, $35. https://www.phtheatre.org/singalong-series/

Congratulations to collaborators Sherry J. Yoon and Jay Dodge, named one of four finalists for the 2026 Siminovitch Prize for mid-career theatre artists, Canada’s richest theatre award. The winner will be announced on Nov. 30. Fingers crossed!www.siminovitchprize.com

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Canadian Actors Equity Association is awarding a Life Membership to James Fagan Tait. And Deb Williams gets the Changemaker Award “in recognition of her extraordinary leadership in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canada’s performing arts sector.” Big-time congrats to them both!

And one more hardy congrats – to Cheyenne Scott, named new Artistic Director of Urban Ink. www.urbanink.ca

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

The Firehall Arts Centre has announced an ambitious 10-show season that includes remounts of Kevin Loring’s Where the Blood Mixes and Kelly Rebar’s Bordertown Café, Iranian drama Wish You Were Here, and a Krystle Dos Santos Christmas show. www.firehallartscentre.ca

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! plus 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 locals Alexandra Lainfiesta and Joey Lespérance. www.phtheatre.org

Théâtre la Seizième’s 7-show season opens with a Virginia Woolf adaptation from Paris’ Comédie-Française and includes a co-pro adaptation of Genet’s The Maids with Touchstone and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.www.seizieme.ca

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

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 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

Carousel Theatre for Young People’s 5-show season includes Stuart Little and Finding Nemo: The Musical. www.carouseltheatre.ca

Langley’s Theatre in the Country’s 5 plays in 2027 include A Christmas Story: The Musical, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and My Fair Lady. https://theatreinthecountry.com/

West Van’s Kay Meek Arts Centre’s 5-play season includes three Arts Club plays on tour plus English and Joanna Ranelli’s Confessions of a Hairstylist. www.kaymeek.com

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

Touchstone Theatre’s 4-play season of co-productions includes a remount of Anosh Irani’s Behind the Moon by the Arts Club and Niall McNeill’s Beauty and the Beast: My Life. www.touchstonetheatre.com

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/

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

Theatre at UBC’s feminist-flavoured 3-show mainstage season includes Dracula: A Feminist Revenge Tragedy, Really; Twelfth Night; and an adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando. www.theatrefilm.ubc.ca

Finally, Bard on the Beach has announced its 5-show 2027 summer season: A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ‘70s Musical; Romeo and Juliet; Juliet: A Revenge Comedy; Eddie and Will; and Shakespeare’s Will. www.bardonthebeach.org

Presentation House Theatre has released its schedule of 2026-27 Educational Camps. HERE.

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

Gateway Theatre’s Gateway Academy in Richmond offers year-long acting 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