welcome

JANUARY 2026 | VOLUME 259

JAN 12-25

2026 in earnest, and a sad farewell to Prince Hal

These two weeks move us into theatrical 2026 in earnest, with a great variety of productions playing across the Lower Mainland, including the PuSh Festival’s national and international lineup. No excuses not to see a play!

We are beyond sad to hear of the death of Hal Wake on Jan. 7. I knew Hal from his days, and mine, at CBC radio in the 1980s, and from his position as Artistic Director of the Vancouver Writers Festival from 2006-2017, where he entrusted me with interviewing some of the best writers in the world (Amitav Ghosh, Ian MacEwan, Anthony Doerr, Yiyun Li, Margaret Atwood, Ann-Marie MacDonald, Sarah Waters and more). He was a great host, a cultural hero, a kind, gentle, gracious, cuddly bear of a man, and a wonderful friend. He made his mark on so many people. It’s difficult to imagine him gone. Hal was just 73.

Our On Now page will show you everything running through late-January. Be sure to look for the BUY TICKETS buttons. And plot your theatregoing through late-February 2026 on our Coming Soon page.

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.

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.

New Westminster’s Eighth & Eight presents Reading Theatre led by Allan Morgan: How I Learned to Drive, Jan. 14 atthe Plaskett Gallery, 2 pm. Show up by 1:45 if you’d like to be a reader.https://www.eighthandeight.com/event/reading-theatre-jan-14/

North Van’s Presentation House Theatre presents Celebrating Black History – Honouring Heritage, Inspiring the Future, a fundraiser. Jan. 15, 6:30 pm. Tickets & info HERE.

Ruby Slippers Theatre presents an Online Panel Discussion: Bicultural Identity & Belonging, in association with S.U.C.C.E.S.S., MOSAIC, Pancouver, Asian Canadian Special Events Association, and rice & beans theatre. With support from Canadian Heritage. Jan. 19, 7 pm. Register HERE.

Ruby Slippers’ Advance Theatre Festival at Burnaby’s Shadbolt Centre, Studio 103, runs Jan. 26-30, evenings at 7:30. New play readings from Irene (Fan) Yi, I Have a Dream in Chinese, Jan. 26; Abi Padilla, Far and Free (Malayo at Malaya), Jan. 27; Marcia Johnson, Just Like Paris, Jan. 28; Alexandra Lainfiesta, Bella Luz, Jan. 29, Sewit Eden Haile, Roald Dahl Doesn’t Care about You, Jan. 30. Tickets & info at https://tickets.shadboltcentre.com/

Langley’s Theatre in the Country is holding auditions for its June production of The Producers, Feb. 1-2. Info and application at https://theatreinthecountry.com/auditions/.

Carousel Theatre for Young People presents the Family Forward Festival for Family Day weekend, Feb. 14-16. All events by donation. See details and book tickets at https://www.carouseltheatre.ca/tickets.

Ruby Slippers Theatre invites playwrights and directors to apply for the 2026/27 Advance Theatre Festival. Submit play synopsis, brief bio and max. 15 pp. script except or director’s resume and cover letter to info@rubyslippers.ca by May 15.

The Cultch now has five restaurant partners on Commercial Drive. Visit any on the same day you see a Cultch performance and get 15% off your bill: Social, Sing Sing Commercial, La Mezcalaria, Caffè La Tana and Havana. The Improv Centre has partnered with six Granville Island restaurants to get you 10-20% off your bill with a same-day Improv Centre ticket. https://theimprovcentre.ca/restaurant-partners/. The Firehall’s 15% off partner is Cuchillo on Powell St.

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

Perry Ehrlich’s Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! musical theatre program is accepting applications for next summer, July 7-30 and Aug. 4-27, M-F 9:00-4:00. Info and applications here: https://theimpresario.ca/gotta-sing-gotta-dance/

Enjoy,

Jerry