A Crisp New Take on Live Theatre

This fall, The Cultch launches its 51st season, full of contemporary circus, comedy, musicals, dance and award-winning theatre.

Starting this month, the East Vancouver-based not-for-profit welcomes an innovative mix of live performances to its three stages, everything from world premieres by Vancouver companies to returning audience favourites like Governor General’s Award-winning puppeteer Ronnie Burkett and Theatre Replacement’s East Van Panto. The Cultch will also host productions by international sensations, including two jaw-dropping contemporary circus shows.

The season opens on Sept. 25 with As You Like It or the Land Acknowledgement, a Crow's Theatre production. After earning widespread critical acclaim, selling-out performances in New York, Toronto and at the 2022 PuSh Festival, and winning the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama, the brilliant Indigenous playwright Cliff Cardinal returns with his subversive retelling of Shakespeare's As You Like It.

In October, The Cultch welcomes two dance performances: the world premiere of Raven Mother, a gorgeous multimedia Indigenous dance work by Dancers of Damelahamid; and co-presented with New Works, Prism, a reality-bending new performance by the acclaimed Montreal dance company Tentacle Tribe whose singular style blends hip-hop, martial arts and contemporary dance.

This holiday season, co-writers Jivesh Parasram and Christine Quintana — the minds behind last year's East Van Panto smash Beauty and the Beast — are putting a hilarious East Van spin on the tale of that lovable rapscallion, Robin Hood. “Theatre Replacement’s East Van Pantos are some of the most innovative, entertaining productions we see all season," says Vancouver theatre critic Colin Thomas. Expect inspired silliness, clever jokes for kids and adults alike, and pop song parodies from composer Veda Hille.

In January, The Cultch teams up with DanceHouse to bring the acclaimed Australian contemporary circus company Circa to the Vancouver Playhouse. In this gravity-defying show for all ages, the Swan Lake ballet takes flight as Duck Pond, "a thrilling circus epic... charmingly magical in its whimsy," writes theatre critic Meredith Walker.

Ronnie Burkett — a favourite of Cultch audiences and recent recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award — is back in town this February with Wonderful Joe, a story for adult audiences only about an unhoused man and his dog on a grand adventure. "It’s pure magic from a veteran puppeteer," writes Justin Bell in the Edmonton Journal.

Also in February, The Cultch and PuSh Festival are collaborating to bring Dimanche by Belgium's Chaliwaté and Focus Co. to the Vancouver Playhouse. This inspired work of comedic physical theatre, combining puppetry, video and ingenious practical effects, has taken the international theatre scene by storm, with the New York Times calling it "gorgeously realized."

In March, The Cultch welcomes two works of Indigenous theatre: Savage Society's wickedly funny satire Little Red Warrior & His Lawyer and Urban Ink's Children of God, a soaring musical about the impacts of residential schools.

Also on stage in March, Beauty and the Beast: My Life is a world premiere by playwright Niall McNeil. McNeil, who identifies as an artist with Down syndrome, will transport audiences into a vibrant world of whimsy.

Dance Nation, produced by the Search Party, lights up The Cultch's York Theatre in April. This Pulitzer Prize finalist for drama follows an ambitious team of pre-teen competitive dancers vying for the national championship. The Vancouver premiere of this critically acclaimed play features many of the city's finest actors and promises to be an unforgettable theatrical experience. Also in April, Agathe and Adrien, a contemporary circus duet from Quebec, will push the limits of their bodies in N.Ormes.

Mixing standup and music, Love You Wrong Time is a razor-sharp comedy about two friends looking for love while contending with the fetishization of Asian women. This show sold out before the opening of its world premiere in Toronto. Don't miss your chance to see it this May, co-presented by Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre.

In Every Day She Rose, the Black Lives Matter protest and the 2016 Toronto Pride Parade collide, and two best friends find their politics aren't as aligned as they first thought. “A blazingly intelligent play," writes theatre critic Lynn Slotkin. The Vancouver premiere, produced by Zee Zee Theatre, is on stage at The Cultch in May.

The Cultch will send off its 2024-25 season with Haus of Yolo, a wild and risqué circus show by Dust Palace from Aotearoa, or New Zealand. High fashion meets high-flying acrobatics in this crazy fun show.

"This season marks The Cultch’s 51st year as East Vancouver’s unconventional theatre space," says Heather Redfern, the organization’s executive director.

"After half a century of making art, building community, sparking conversations and throwing parties, we’re still here because of everyone who's supported what we do. We have curated a tremendous season, some of the best shows in the world. We can’t wait to share our 2024-25 season with you."

For showtimes, tickets and season ticket packages, visit The Cultch’s website.