THEATRE PREVIEW

MARCH 2026 | Volume 261

 

Veda Hille and Maiko Yamamoto to debut new genre-defying work at The Cultch

Longtime friends and collaborators Veda Hille and Maiko Yamamoto return to The Cultch with the world premiere of End of Greatness, a theatre-music-lecture that roams from the forest floor to the edges of the known universe. Coming to The Cultch's Historic Theatre for a limited time, April 16–19 2026, End of Greatness offers a multidisciplinary look at the systems — big and small — breaking us down and keeping us alive. With a host of renowned collaborators they tell stories and ask questions about the life around us, the death that's coming, and the universal importance of cake.

Through songs and music, dialogue, mythology, art objects, choreography, and more, End of Greatness conjoins microscopic intricacies with cosmological concepts to explore what it means to accept the dire elements of our time. Nothing less than wild and wonderful is to be expected from Hille and Yamamoto, who are often at the forefront of creating innovative theatre experiences in East Vancouver.

End of Greatness is produced by Theatre Replacement (TR). This is TR's second show in the 25/26 season with The Cultch, following the rousing success of East Van Panto: West Van Story. Yamamoto's artistic direction at TR has been praised as "a kind of Wooster Group of the West Coast" (Globe and Mail). And Hille, longtime Associate Artist, is revered for her compositions that "[bleed] with an effortless authenticity" (Vancouver Magazine).

"How did Vancouver get so lucky as to have Hille and Theatre Replacement [reside] here?" —Jo Ledingham

Created and Performed by: Veda Hille & Maiko Yamamoto 
with Musicians Thom Gill and Julia Chien
Landscape and Visual Design: Geoffrey Farmer
Textile Design: Hitoko Okada
Lighting Design: Jeff Harrison
Theatre Scientist: Deb Chachra
Movement Consultant: Katarina Skår Lisa
Ephemera and Cake: Keely O'Brien
Stage Management: Jan Hodgson
Technical Direction: Jessica Han
Artistic Producer: Kyle Loven

Produced by Theatre Replacement and Veda Hille. Supported through a Deer Lake Artists Residency. Developed in collaboration with the National Creation Fund at Canada's National Arts Centre.

WHEN: APR 16–19, 2026

EVENING PERFORMANCES, 7:30 PM
Thurs, Apr. 16 — Opening
Fri, Apr. 17 — Talkback
Sat, Apr. 18

MATINEE PERFORMANCES, 2:00 PM
Sat, Apr. 18
Sun, Apr. 19

WHERE: Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver, BC

TICKETS: Tickets from $35. Tickets on sale now through The Cultch's Box Office: 604-251-1363 or https://thecultch.com/event/end-of-greatness/   

ABOUT THEATRE REPLACEMENT:
TR's work is grounded in the creation of original, experimental and intercultural works of performance. Since the company's beginnings, we've held fast to an ethos of co-existence, and this idea still runs through everything we do. Our new works are built through highly collaborative processes, over extended working periods and foreground diverse artists. With an incredible roster of Associate and Resident Artists, as well as ongoing and new collaborators, we've built a body of work that forwards our aesthetic and conceptual interests in creating and sharing bold, contemporary performances. Our works tend to question the ways in which the performance and the audience interact. We look to answer larger questions we are asking in and of the world. As we continue to make new performances, our processes include collaborating and intersecting with artists and people who hold different perspectives, histories and identities — this is how we define our intercultural practice.

We've also designed programs that share what we do and how we do it with other artists through various opportunities for mentorship, residency, professional development and networking. We are invested in cultural exchange and international dialogue and actively seek out ways in which our work can be in conversation with the world through presentation opportunities, creative partnerships and strategic initiatives.

ABOUT THE CULTCH:

Since 1973, The Cultch (formerly the Vancouver East Cultural Centre) has been one of Vancouver's most diverse and innovative arts and cultural hubs. The organization operates three theatrical venues, a gallery, and various ancillary spaces in the heart of East Vancouver. Offering dynamic contemporary works in theatre, dance, music, and the visual arts, The Cultch brings world-class presentations to thousands of citizens each year through its own programming and rental opportunities for community users. The non-profit's purpose is to provide a venue for performance, serving a diverse and engaged public, creating space for artistic experimentation and development, and building an audience for cutting-edge local, national, and international work.

 

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