This week The Arts Club Theatre Company‘s Artistic Managing Director Bill Millerd announced that the 2017-2018 season would be his last with the company.
As he’s done for the past 45 years, Millerd has created a season that’s sure to have something for everyone. From new works by local playwrights like Jill Daum’s Forget About Tomorrow, to blockbuster musical like Disney’s Beauty and The Beast or Tony award fave Fun Home as well as a remount of last year’s hit Onegin.
From the Arts Clubs early days on Seymour Street, Bill Millerd has helped steer the theatre company to be the foundation of Vancouver’s Arts scene. All three of the Arts Club’s current stages have been developed during Millerd’s tenure, and provide the stability that allows the theatre company to maintain its focus on new Canadian work and engaging new audiences.
Millerd says “We’ve come a long way while maintaining the core values that we prize: nurturing artists, growing audiences, and creating diverse cultural experiences. The company is in good hands with a strong staff, Board of Directors, and committed artists, and I look forward to seeing a bright future as the Arts Club continues to thrive under a new artistic director.”
The Arts Club Board of Directors and Executive Director Peter Cathie White now have the unenviable task of finding someone willing to and capable of filling Bill Millerd’s shoes. In the meantime, we have another great season ahead of us with The Arts Club Theatre Company’s 2016-17 season continuing and the 2017-18 season beginning in September.
The full Arts Club Theatre 2017-18 Season Line-Up includes:
STANLEY INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCE STAGE
Angels in America, Part Two: Perestroika, a play by Tony Kushner, Sept. 7 – Oct. 7, 2017
King Charles lll, a play by Mark Bartlett, Oct.19 – Nov. 19, 2017
Disney’s Beauty & the Beast, a musical by Menken/Ashman/Rice/Woolverton, Dec. 7, 2017 to Jan. 7, 2018
Jitters, comedy by David French, Jan. 25 – Feb. 25, 2018
The Humans, play by Stephan Karam, March 22 – April 22, 2018
Mamma Mia, musical by Johnson/Ulvaneus/Andersson (ABBA songs), May 10 – July 8, 2018
GRANVILLE ISLAND STAGE
Thanks for Giving, a premiere of a play by Kevin Loring, Oct. 4 – Nov. 4, 2017
Onegin, by Amiel Gladstone and Veda Hille, Nov. 23 – Dec. 30, 2017
Fun Home, a musical by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, Feb. 7 – Mar 10, 2018
Misery, adapted from the Stephen King novel by William Goldman, April 4 – May 5, 2018
Once, a musical by Edna Walsh, June 13 – July 28, 2018
GOLDCORP STAGE AT THE BMO THEATRE CENTRE
Day Before Christmas, a comedy by Stacy Kaser and Alison Kelly, Nov. 16 – Dec. 24, 2017
Topdog/Underdog, a play by Susan-Lori Parks, Jan. 18 – Feb. 11, 2018
Forget about tomorrow, a premiere of a play by Jill Daum, Mar 1 – Mar 25, 2018
Me and You, a premiere of a comedy by Melody Anderson, April 12 – May 6, 2018