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The Nonexistent, directed by Yves Simard, is focused on telling a story many people may know all too well: displacement. The story of a young girl forced to forge a new path as she leaves her country reveals the complexity of migration and exile through acrobatics, dance, movement and stunning scenery. The English version of…
The frank theatre and The Cultch present Be-Longing, a production that blends film, theatre, and new media to explore themes ranging from queer identity to immigration and diaspora, as well as the complicated feelings, places, and experiences underlying them. According to co-creator Fay Nass, exploring the lives of four queer immigrants is meant to embrace the…
Based on the real-life murder of Trayvon Martin that launched the Black Lives Matter movement, Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers is an exciting and emotional theatre show that tells the story of a black teenager and his experience in the afterlife. Written and performed by Makambe K Simamba, the play will premiere in Vancouver from…
Mitch and Murray Productions presents the premiere of SNOWFLAKE, a play written by Olivier Award-winning playwright Mike Bartlett. From Dec. 10 to 23, 2021, audiences can attend the live performance in person at the Red Gate Revue Stage on Granville Island. The play, which features performer Aaron Craven, follows Andy and his daughter Maya through their…
Breakwater, written by playwright Valerie Methot and a youth group from Some Assembly Theatre Company, follows six youth who face the effects of isolation and mental health struggles from a symbolic world-wide flood. This worldwide flood was something that was added to the narrative. “The flood wasn’t always the story, it was discovered at the…
The pandemic offers people the opportunity to heal the inner landscape of the human soul, says Anosh Irani, a Vancouver-based author. Irani addresses the human subterranean in an online hybrid between a play and a film, creating a space for conversation with the audience at the 2021 Indian Summer Festival (July 15–17). “I always write…
Pedro Chamale’s new album, Made in Canada: an agricultural song cycle, is now available to download, stream on Spotify or purchase on vinyl. The album is composed of 10 songs written by Chamale and Rice and Beans Theatre co-founder Mishelle Cuttler. The songs explore issues surrounding Canada’s seasonal temporary foreign workers. There is also an…
The Cultch and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) are offering a pre-recorded performance of Tetsuro Shigematsu’s award-winning play, 1 Hour Photo, to be streamed online on May 28, 29 and 30. This will be a cinematic adaptation of the stage play that debuted at the Cultch in 2017 to a sold-out audience. Shigematsu not only wrote…
“As the Chinese government puts more measures and efforts into silencing its people in Hong Kong or elsewhere, we over here have the privilege to speak up and with this privilege we have a responsibility to keep the story alive,” says Derek Chan, writer and director of yellow objects, a play inspired by the pro-democracy movement…
Zee Zee Theatre presents Virtual Humanity, this year’s online edition of their annual Human Library project, from Mar. 6–28, which involves seeking out storytellers with a diversity of personal and cultural backgrounds, and ensuring said conversations flow smoothly. “I truly believe that this project is playing a role in our future. Communicating experience-based stories and…
WhyNot Theatre continues making life better through art by premiering A Brimful of Asha online Jan. 15–31. Keeping this experience COVID-friendly, the show is a recording of a 2014 performance; and further making this a more interactive streamed session, the Surrey Arts Center has organized a chat after the Jan. 15 show with Ravi Jain. Toronto-based actor…
Set to premiere in Vancouver in 2021, Santiago Farías Calderón’s translation of Mexican playwright Edgar Chías looks at different forms of abuse towards women as it invites the audience to understand sexism as a form of violence. Calderón’s translation of the play El Cielo en La Piel, by Chías, shows that discussions written more than…
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of online migration for many art forms, temporarily or permanently. Theatre is also trying new ways to keep its spirit alive while adhering to safety requirements. Red Phone and Plays2Perform@Home, two innovative theatre projects developed by theatre company Boca del Lupo, are blurring the line between audience and performer. Red…
