About Us

2011/2012 season announced!

...since 1962

The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company is British Columbia’s premier theatre company, formed in 1962 in response to the Canada Council's funding initiative for regional theatre companies. It became the principal tenant of the 655-seat Vancouver Playhouse Theatre, a civic building in the downtown core. A reputation for high standards and for doing interesting work has enabled the Playhouse to present some of the best theatre artists from across Canada, creating consistently high-calibre theatre experiences for 48 seasons. It has produced premieres of many original Canadian plays, disseminated partnered work across Canada, and played a historic role in providing training and graduate opportunities for Western Canadian theatre artists to develop their craft, as well as in developing the regional community’s interest in classics and contemporary work by authors such as Tennessee Williams, George Ryga and Joan MacLeod.   

Our mandate, as it has evolved with the region’s cultural needs, is to be a vital cultural leader in the theatre ecology, describing and shaping our community’s perspectives by engaging a wider audience in significant theatre experiences. The Playhouse is a regional theatre and an anchor for Vancouver’s activities in development and the expression of artistic excellence on a large scale. 

The Playhouse presents a five-play Mainstage season that runs October through May, additional smaller-scale productions and play readings at alternate venues, and special presentations of Theatre for Young Audiences productions. Productions enjoy a 3-4 week run, including dedicated matinee performances for students, seniors, and the less advantaged. Moderated post-show Talkbacks and pre-show guest speakers at our Salon Saturdays enhance the theatre experience for patrons.  The Playhouse has an active outreach program, designed to deepen the connection between our plays and our audience, as well as to nurture a lifelong interest in theatre in students. 

In addition to our own production work, we share our rehearsal halls, production workshops, and props and costume inventory with the community as a whole, providing badly needed resources to other arts organizations and community groups that otherwise wouldn’t have access to a venue, shop space or heavily subsidized props and costume rentals. We look forward in coming years to expanding our own production work and providing presenting opportunities to other arts organizations through the renegotiated terms of our residency at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre.

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