2016-2016 season announcement | coming soon!

This is just a little teaser to let you know that our season announcement is coming soon!  No, it's not an April Fool's joke: on April 1 we'll announce our 2016-2017 season.

We'll be posting it on the blog, Facebook, website, and sending out a blast to everyone on our mailing list.  Plus, subscribers will get to know first!  Keep an eye on your inboxes, we'll be sending out a notice to subscribers shortly with all the details.

gruesome playground injuries | meet the team

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES opens on Friday with a pay-what-you-can preview on Thursday! Check out the creative team here.

Chelsea Haberlin: Director
"I'm very much drawn to the quirky nature of this play."

Pippa Johnstone: Kayleen
"I am over-the-moon excited and grateful to get another crack at this strange and beautiful story, and get to work alongside the best team I could dream up."

Kenton Klassen: Doug
"Gruesome Playground Injuries is probably my favourite play and definitely the most exhilarating production that I have been a part of. I am excited to work with this wonderful team of artists again and to dig deeper into this silly, dark, and peculiar love story."

Christopher David Gauthier: Costume Designer
"I love the team involved. Also I love "almosts" which without spoiling it is what in some ways this show is about. "Almosts" are human, we almost make/do a lot of things, how we deal with that is important."

Chris Adams: Sound Designer
"I am very pleased to be working on this show again with the same awesome group of people."

Carolyn Rapanos: Set Designer
"I really enjoyed working with everyone on this team and am excited to get the chance to do it again! And I'm very much drawn to the intimate, quirky nature of the play."

Phil Miguel: Lighting Designer
"A little under two years ago, I smacked his face into the set of Gruesome Playground Injuries which left of bruise on my face for weeks. I return to this show a little smarter with a plan to keep everyone’s face well lit (within reason)."

Shelby Bushell: Stage Manager
"I am thrilled to be returning to work with this wonderful cast and crew."

gruesome playground injuries | the set

The set design for GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES is incredibly attention-grabbing.  Here's a look at the first set drawing and a note from designer Carolyn Rapanos on what she was trying to achieve with the design.

“The goal of this set is to emphasize visible costume changes, facilitate quick changes in time and location, and reflect the atmosphere of the play - intimate, quirky, and reveling in injury. The set is minimalist, featuring a woven "bandage" motif and a bold red floor.”
-Carolyn Rapanos

holiday hours

A quick notice that our administrative office and box office will be closed Friday-Monday for Easter Weekend.  We will be back and ready to help you out on Tuesday, March 29. 

gruesome playground injuries | photos

GRUESOME PLAYGROUND INJURIES is set to open next Friday night!  In the meantime, we've got some photos from the last production to share with you.

a good mother | workshop photos

Next month we're doing a script-in-hand presentation of A GOOD MOTHER by Kathy Parsons.  This is one of our favourite things to do - script-in-hand stagings give us an opportunity to share a work that we're developing with our audience, and gives the playwright a chance to see how the show works on its feet.  Last weekend the team gathered for a quick workshop so Kathy could make some more edits before they begin rehearsals next month, and we snapped some shots of them at work.

mar 19 | the eisenhauers | concert

Remember Sheree Plett and Jeremy Eisenhauer?  Until they moved away a couple of years ago, they were CHRISTMAS PRESENCE regulars, and even created live musical accompaniment for our Christmas show JESUS, MY BOY.  Well, after a brief time away from the recording studio, they're restarting their music careers as The Eisenhauers!  We can only imagine how great this is going to be.  They have a new album coming out, and a small tour that includes a stop in Vancouver.

The Eisenhauers
Saturday, March 19th at 7:30pm
Anchor Guitars / Cousin Jack 103, 339 Railway St, Vancouver

Tickets $10 at the door only.

march 29- april 9 | late company | katherine venour, michael kopsa

After playing to rave reviews at the Cultch last season, Late Company returns to the Evergreen Cultural Centre and the Culture Lab this Spring. Pacific Theatre audiences will remember Michael Kopsa (PLAYLAND and THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT) and Katherine Venour (coming up again this June in WIT!)

Photo of Gerry Makay and Katharine Venour by Tim Matheson

LATE COMPANY

By: Jordan Tannahill 

WHAT IT’S ABOUT 

One year after a tragedy, two couples sit down to dinner. Far from finding the closure they seek, the dinner strips bare their good intentions to reveal the layers of hypocrisy beneath. A funny and moving exploration of a hot button issue, rendered in dynamic dialogue by an exciting young playwright. Touchstone’s hit production, directed by Katrina Dunn, features an innovative design and riveting performance from some of Vancouver’s finest actors.  

WHY YOU’LL WANT TO SEE IT 

If it takes a village to raise a child, then who’s to blame when one falls by the wayside? That’s the question lurking at the heart of Jordan Tannahill’s searing, unforgettable drama. From one of Canada’s most promising young playwrights, winner of the 2014 Governor General’s Award for Drama and the John Hirsch Award, comes a new play where there are no easy answers to be found; only the shattered realities of two families struggling to put a terrible ordeal in the past.  

WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY 

This is truly theatre at it’s most raw: exploring restorative justice, cyber bullying, and the ever-changing complexities of parenthood in the 21st century.

WHEN/WHERE/TICKETS

March 29-April 2, 2016

Evergreen Cultural Centre
1205 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam

Tickets:
tickets.evergreenculturalcentre.ca
604-927-6555

April 5–9, 2016
Vancity Culture Lab
1895 Venables St, Vancouver

Tickets:
tickets.thecultch.com
604-251-1363

A Touchstone Theatre Production

CREATIVE TEAM

Directed by Katrina Dunn
Set by Pam Johnson
Lighting by Adrian Muir
Costumes by Amy McDougall
Sound by Scott Zechner
Stage Managed by Marijka Asbeek Brusse

CAST

Michael Kopsa, Gerry Mackay, Arthur MacKinnon, Linda Quibell and Katharine Venour

arts courses | regent spring + summer school

Swell arts line-up at Regent College this spring and summer.  Documentary film-maker and PT enthusiast Iwan Russell-Jones joins forces with PT enthusiast Gerry Schoberg to offer "Jesus At The Movies" - Pasolini's Gospel According To Matthew,  JCSS, Life of Brian, Last Temptation, Gibson's Passion Of The Christ, Jesus of Montreal, and the splendid South African Son Of Man, to name but a few.  And I wonder what will be on the list for the sci-fi course this July?  Lewis's space trilogy? A Canticle For Leibowitz? The Sparrow and Children Of God?

Here's a link to more.

march 8 | open auditions: freud's last session | gallery 7 theatre

Our friends at Gallery 7 theatre are hosting open auditions for their upcoming production of FREUD'S LAST SESSION! If you enjoyed the show at Pacific Theatre last season, here's your chance to act in it- or see it again!

WHAT

Gallery 7 Theatre is seeking two male performers between ages 23 - 70 to perform in this thought-provoking and entertaining play featuring a fictional conversation between C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud on the day England enters WWII. Those interested in working behind the scenes are also invited to attend the audition.

WHEN

General Audition: Tuesday, March 8, 2016 @ 6:30 PM 

Call Backs: Saturday, March 12, 2016 @ 10:00 AM

WHERE

Gallery 7 Theatre - Huntington Station #100 - 34595 3rd Avenue, Abbotsford

HOW

Call 604-504-5940 or email info@gallery7theatre.com. 

When you register, please let us know your name, phone number, email address and a little bit about your theatre experience, if any. Please read the Actor's Orientation Package (available here) prior to registering for the audition.

ADDITIONAL INFO

The Story:  

On the day England enters World War II, famous psychiatrist, Sigmund Freud and young novelist and Oxford fellow, C.S. Lewis engage in an intellectual and emotionally charged debate about some of life's biggest questions: love, God, relationships and the meaning of life. As the discussion ensues, the two discover a respect for the other, despite the significant differences of opinion that separate them. A fictional story brimming with humour and insight, this play celebrates friendship and respect as two of the greatest minds from the 20th century tackle the greatest questions of all time. 

Performance Dates:  

May 20 & 21, 25 - 28, 2016 @ 7:30 PM 

Matinees: May 21 & 28 @ 2:00 PM  

Performance Location:  

Matsqui Centennial Auditorium - 32315 South Fraser Way, Abbotsford, BC   

Rehearsal Schedule:  

March/April/May, 2016 

Monday, Wednesday  & Thursday evenings. 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM  

Please note there will be two additional Saturday rehearsals scheduled: 

Saturday, April 2, 2016, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM and Saturday, May 7, 2016, 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. 

Please also note that during the final week of rehearsals, we will be rehearsing every evening.   

Rehearsal Location:  

Gallery 7 Theatre - Huntington Station #100 - 34595 3rd Avenue, Abbotsford   

Artistic Team:  

Director Ron Jackson

Set Design Brian Ball

Costume & Props Design Dianna Lewis

Sound Design Eli Funk

Character Break-Down:  

Please Note: The following descriptions provide an approximate age for each character. However, the director may decide to cast older or younger performers depending on the needs of the production, regardless of the age range of the character listed below.  

SIGMUND FREUD: An aging Viennese psychologist, 83 years old, who has fled the beginnings of World War II and taken refuge in London, England. He is battling cancer of the mouth, and is a brilliant thinker. 

C.S. LEWIS: A Christian theologian converted from atheism, and at 40, is still forming many of the opinions and thoughts that he will write about later in life. A native of Belfast, Ireland, but has resided in England since he was 18 years old.

mar 9-12 | the occupation of heather rose | apprentice project

We've got another apprentice project taking our stage!  Kim Larson will be taking on THE OCCUPATION OF HEATHER ROSE by Wendy Lill.

The Occupation of Heather Rose by Wendy Lill
March 9-12 at Pacific Theatre
an apprentice Stone's Throw Production

Equipped with a Canada Food Guide, her nursing training, and a heavy dose of optimism, Heather heads out to a remote reserve in Northern Ontario. She’s heard the problems and has the solutions. But things don’t go according to her careful plans and she is soon in deep over her head.

The show is hauntingly beautiful and provocative. Written in 1986, but still horrifyingly accurate, it takes an unflinching look at just how much “help” our system can offer and the subsequent consequences.

Tickets pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth after the show. To reserve a seat, email tickets@pacifictheatre.org or phone 604-731-5518.

Featuring: Kim Larson
Director: Cheyenne Douglas-Ruttan
Stage Manager: Elan Bertles
ASM: Derick Neumeier
Set/Costume: Elizabeth Wellwood
Sound Design: Dylan Coulter
Lighting Design: Jeff Elrick
Poster Design: Erin Cassidy

march 4-13 | divine monster | shona struthers

Last season we had Shona Struthers working with us as a Season Intern (you may have caught her year-end project AGNES OF GOD).  She's off doing the BFA at UBC this year, and will be performing in The Player's Club's new play DIVINE MONSTER.

Divine Monster by Elena Kaufman
March 4-13 at Studio 1398
Preview March 3

The ghost of Sarah Bernhardt has a secret. The greatest actress in the French-speaking world has the chance to make a come-back. It is 2015 and a Canadian backpacker and musician finds respite in the Père Lachaise cemetery when, after trying to commit suicide, she is rescued by this golden lady, this magician of emotions. Is it a trick of the light or has Sarah manipulated her young visitor to switch places with her so that she can get another chance at stardom?

Regular ticket price: $15
Student/Senior ticket price: $10

Tickets at Brown Paper Tickets.  For information email tickets@ubcplayersclub.com.

ask/tell the boler project | apprentice project

You may have seen already, but our apprentice Julia Siedlanowska has put together a performance piece different than anything we've ever done at PT before: ASK/TELL: THE BOLER PROJECT.

ASK/TELL: The Boler Project
February 19- March 5 on Hemlock off 12th

Julia Siedlanowska explores proximity and closeness in a one on one, site-specific performance as part of her apprenticeship at Pacific Theatre.

To book email julia@pacifictheatre.org or call 604-616-7381

February
Friday 19th- 6pm-7:30
Saturday 20th- 6pm-7:30
Friday 26th- 6pm-7:15
Saturday 27th- 6pm-7:30

March
Friday 4th- 6:10pm-late
Saturday 5th- 6pm-late

(Directly before Hardline Productions' Bright Blue Future)

Artistic Team: Created and Performed by Julia Siedlanowska.

Tickets: Pay-What-You-Think-Its-Worth (cash after viewing) on the corner of Hemlock and 12th.

More info at: http://pacifictheatre.org/involvement/stonesthrow or 604 616 7381.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

The experience takes place in a small Boler (tow-behind) trailer that is parked next to Pacific Theatre at Hemlock and 12th Street. It is a 10-minute one on one performance between performer and audience member exploring proximity and closeness between strangers.

The audience member will come into the Boler and have the opportunity to choose from two options:

1. They can ask a question
2. They can tell something

The only parameters being: it has to be the truth, and it stays in the room.

Tickets will be sold in an accessible pay-what-you-think-it’s-worth model, after the show.

michael yang on the last days of judas iscariot

Yesterday I was a guest in The Christian Imagination, a course on faith and the arts offered by Regent College. I talked about my story as a theatre artist who's also a Christian, about my aesthetic and values within the art form, the theological significance of various aspects of acting and playwriting, and what it's been like to run a professional theatre. Before I started speaking, one of the students presented a very moving reflection on the impact of seeing The Last Days Of Judas Iscariot four years ago. There couldn't have been a better or more moving introduction to what I had to say - and the remarkable thing is, when he signed up to do his presentation, he didn't know who the guest speaker was going to be.

I've posted Michael's remarks on my Oblations blog.

Ron Reed

mar 2 + 4-10 | numb | jason goode, aleks paunovic

Pacific Theatre audiences will remember Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, and Aleks Paunovic's frightening, vulnerable performance - directed by Jason Goode, a friend of PT for a long time. A year ago Jason shot a feature film here in BC, with Aleks in the lead. It premiered at the Whistler Film Festival, and now the show gets a Lower Mainland run! 

Numb
Landmark Cinemas 10, New Westminster | tickets
Sneak Preview: Mar 2
Regular screenings: Mar 4-10

When a couple in financial distress discover GPS coordinates that promise to lead to stolen gold they must partner with a pair of mysterious hitchhikers to enter the remote winter wilderness to recover the coins.

DIRECTOR: Jason R. Goode

CAST:
Aleks Paunovic (iZombie, This Means War)
Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Gallactica, Law & Order UK)
Marie Avgeropoulos (Tracers, The 100)
Stefanie von Pfetten (Cracked)

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trailer

mar 5-13 | tom pickett in a very narrow bridge | chutzpah festival

A Very Narrow Bridge
by Itai Erdal, Anita Rochon and Maiko Yamamoto
7pm Mar 5-13 (no show Fri Mar 11)
Chutzpah Festival

Enter into the JCC’s Dayson Boardroom for this special up-close premiere that reveals the complexity of living between cultures. In this humorous and moving chamber-sized play, award-winning performer and playwright, Israeli-Canadian Itai Erdal, re-lives a trial in order to obtain a gett – a divorce document in Jewish religious law – where everything he knows is at stake.

With a breathtaking score created and performed by Talia Erdal, A Very Narrow Bridge takes a personal look at leaving love, and Israel behind.

Directed by Maiko Yamamoto and Anita Rochon and joining Erdal onstage are local favourites Patti Allan, Anton Lipovetsky and Tom Pickett.

common grace | closing performance

COMMON GRACE closes with a 2pm matinee performance today!  Thanks so much to this team for their wonderful work.

common grace | design

The set for COMMON GRACE is a working kitchen!  It lends so much to the story seeing the cast make real coffee, wipe up real spills, and actually wash dishes.  Here are some photos of designer Carolyn Rapanos' presentation of the set maquette at the first reading.

"This set is designed to help pull us into very real, familiar lives while referencing the larger community they're grounded in. We're creating a comfortable, naturalistic modern-day kitchen. However, theatrical tiles integrated into the space set these lives within the context of the Dutch Reformed Church community's traditions, history, and world views - in the background, yet strongly informing these lives."
- Carolyn Rapanos

upcoming rental | bright blue future

Next month we are hosting Hardline Productions as they rent our space for their production of BRIGHT BLUE FUTURE.  There's a discount in it for our patrons, too!

Bright Blue Future
by Sean Oliver Harris
Feb 19-Mar 5

Finalist for the 2013 Theatre BC Playwriting Competition

Bright Blue Future explores one pivotal night in the lives of four twentysomethings and the decisions they make that will affect their futures forever. This glimmering new play by Vancouver playwright Sean Harris Oliver speaks to the unique struggles faced by the young millennial generation.

Directed by Shawn Macdonald

Featuring Genevieve Fleming (Bug, A Doll’s House), Dmitry Chepovetsky, Rachel Cairns (Cymbeline, Twelfth Night), and Curtis Tweedie (Wired, James and The Giant Peach).

Set Design by Jenn Stewart, Sound Design by Matthew MacDonald-Bain, Costume Design by Christopher David Gauthier, Lighting Design by Jill White, Stage Managed by Sarah Mabberley
Get tickets here.

PT PATRON DISCOUNT: The team at Hardline has been kind enough to offer a discount to our patrons! Call in to our box office to book your tickets (604.731.5518) and get them for $24. Otherwise you can book online (no discount) here.

AUDIENCE ADVISORY: CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE AND ADULT CONTENT.

common grace | why the artists chose it

Here are a few words from the creative team behind COMMON GRACE on why they chose to work on this show.

"I am excited to be working on a new play by a local playwright, especially one that is set in a contemporary, local community."
-Carolyn Rapanos, Set Designer

"I've been lucky enough to see this play grow from a first draft to the beautiful story it is now and I cannot wait to watch as it really come to life."
-Cara Cunningham, Alanna

"I am excited to once again share the stage with the immensely talented Kerri Norris and to work hand in hand with playwright Shauna Johannesen on this beautiful slice of life."
-Carl Kennedy, Pastor Dan

"It's great to be working on a brand new show! I'm excited to help create an authentic-feeling kitchen on stage."
-Frances Henry, Properties Manager

“I’m thrilled to be in a play delving so deep into the hearts and souls of 5 (count ‘em 5!) distinct, real, and powerful-in-their-own-way women.”
-Julie Lynn Mortensen, Miriam

"I have had the privilege of watching this play evolve from some of its early drafts and am honoured to be a part of it coming to life. I am also very excited to be back together with so many artists that I respect and love working with."
-Kerri Norris, Carol

"I'm looking forward to being part of this show because I've gotten to be part of the workshopping process for this script from the beginning (inhabiting several of the roles). I love this story: the relationships between these sisters and their mother, the humour, and the honest wrestling with questions of love, death, faith and home. Also, what a fabulous group of people to get to spend the next 5 weeks with!"
-Rebecca de Boer, Abby