This week, the Arts Club Theatre Company Artistic Director Ashlie Corcoran revealed the shows comprising the company’s 57th season, a lineup that she calls “a vibrant combination of beloved classics and bold new productions, packed with incredible music and storytelling.”
The 2020–2021 season will mark Ms Corcoran’s third at the company’s helm, alongside Executive Director Peter Cathie White. “Above all, the Arts Club aspires to enrich the lives of our community members with meaningful storytelling,” Corcoran said. “This season, I aim to stay true to this goal by programming beautiful, richly textured stories that reflect our diversity and shed light on the human experience.”
The new season includes 13 shows on the three Arts Club stages along with 3 shows touring other communities.
Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
By Kate Hamill
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
This spirited adaptation tells the story of the Dashwood sisters with a fresh feminist voice
September 10–October 11, 2020
ELF: THE MUSICAL
Based on the beloved holiday film.
Starring Andrew McNee
The hilarious tale of a human who thinks he’s an elf
November 5, 2020–January 3, 2021
NETWORK
Adapted from the acclaimed film
In partnership with the Citadel Theatre and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre
Starring Jim Mezon
News becomes show business in this adaptation
January 21–February 21, 2021
THE LEGEND OF GEORGIA MCBRIDE
By Matthew Lopez
When his act is replaced with a drag show, an Elvis impersonator embraces a new way of life, with hilarious—and fabulous— results
March 18–April 18, 2021
ELVIS The Musical (World Premiere)
By Sean Cercone and David Abbinanti
Based on a concept by Floyd Mutrux
In partnership with the Citadel Theatre
This groundbreaking, brand-new bio-musical tells the King’s story through the eyes of those who knew him best, and features over 40 of his greatest hits
May 13–July 4, 2021
Granville Island Stage
THE CULL (World Premiere)
By Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith
Secrets come to light and relationships unravel in this new dinner party drama
September 24–October 25, 2020
SCROOGE IN ROUGE (Canadian Premiere)
Book and lyrics by Ricky Graham
Performed in the style of a British music hall, this zany take on the Charles Dickens holiday classic is packed with catchy songs and bawdy jokes
November 26, 2020–January 3, 2021
MADE IN ITALY
By Farren Timoteo
In this heartfelt comedy, an Italian teenager in 1970s rural Alberta reinvents himself in the stylings of John Travolta and Rocky Balboa
February 4–March 7, 2021
CAMBODIAN ROCK BAND
By Lauren Yee
This award-winning play blends comedy, history, and music to create a fierce yet funny tribute to family bonds
April 22–May 23, 2021
A CLOSER WALK WITH PATSY CLINE
By Dean Regan
Featuring the unforgettable music of Patsy Cline, this play tells the story of the famous country singer’s rise to fame with heart and humour
June 17–August 1, 2021
Newmont Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre (formerly Goldcorp Stage)
DANCE NATION
By Clare Barron
In partnership with TBA
“Cuteness is death” in this bold, blood-pumping story about a team of pre-teen dancers
October 8–October 25, 2020
THE TWELVE DATES OF CHRISTMAS (Canadian Premiere)
By Ginna Hoben
This charming one-woman play offers a side-splitting, contemporary alternative to the usual conventions of the holidays
December 3, 2020–January 3, 2021
TEENAGE DICK
By Mike Lew
Community Partner Realwheels Theatre
Richard III meets Mean Girls: this clever Shakespeare adaptation reimagines the protagonist as a teenager navigating the treacherous terrain of high school
February 18–March 14, 2021
On Tour
EVERY BRILLIANT THING
By Duncan Macmillan With Jonny Donahoe
Starring Naomi Wright
In this uplifting show, a girl helps her mother cope with depression by listing everything worth living for, with help from the audience
September 30–November 8, 2020
THE CULL
By Michele Riml and Michael St. John Smith
Secrets come to light and relationships unravel in this new dinner party drama
January 6–February 7, 2021
THE BIRDS & THE BEES
By Mark Crawford
Love, lust, beekeeping, and the artificial insemination of turkeys meet in this raucous comedy
February 17–April 4, 2021
Included in the lineup there are a number of partnership productions, with the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton and the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg, as well as another Eastern Canada company yet to be announced. As well a collaboration with Community Partner Realwheels Theatre. The season wraps with A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original production, which premiered on the Granville Island Stage in 1991. Two plays will have their world premieres; ELVIS The Musical, and The Cull, an Arts Club 2017 Silver Commission finding its way to the stage.
The 2020-2021 Silver Commissions for the 2020–2021 season are: My Father Is the Greatest Man in the World, by Tai Amy Grauman, and a new adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, by Christine Quintana.
Corcoran also introduced the playwrights in the 2020–2021 Emerging Playwrights’ Unit: Erik Gow, Pippa Mackie, Justin Neal, and Lili Robinson. This initiative allows playwrights in the early stages of their careers to workshop and receive dramaturgical input on new works.