Photo: David Cooper
Since joining the Playhouse, I have been taking a close look at the position that the Playhouse holds within our community. The 2009/2010 season is my interpretation of our past traditions and reflects the direction that I want to take the company. I have removed the restriction of only producing plays from 1950 on and am committed to our tradition of quality productions.
It’s important to remember that the Playhouse Theatre Company was conceived as Vancouver’s Regional Professional Theatre and now it is one of just 14 regional theatres in the country. It is the role of the regional theatre to search the world for exciting plays and ensure the voices of our most talented artists are heard from our stages. As we move forward I will re-assert our position as Vancouver’s premier regional theatre.
I will open the 47th Playhouse season with The Miracle Worker by William Gibson (October 10-31, 2009), which opens almost 50 years to the day after it premiered on Broadway. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (November 21-December 27, 2009) will leave audiences in hysterics during the holidays.
The Playhouse and Theatre Calgary will produce the world premiere of Beyond Eden by Bruce Ruddell (January 16-February 6, 2010). This true BC story is inspired by the 1957 expedition by Wilson Duff and Bill Reid to recover totem poles from Haida Gwaii.
Norm Foster’s cheeky and sexy The Love List (March 6-April 10, 2010) is a hilarious and thought-provoking play by Canada’s most prolific writer and to close our season we herald our return to the era of modern classics with J.B. Priestley’s Dangerous Corner (May 1-22, 2010).
The Playhouse will also be on the road during the 2009/2010 season: Last season’s smash hit The Drowsy Chaperone and Where the Blood Mixes, produced by the Playhouse in 2008, will both go on national tours.
I have been busy establishing working relationships with other theatre companies in the City: We’re partnering with Green Thumb Theatre to launch a Theatre-for-Young-Audiences family series and with Ruby Slippers Theatre we are assisting with their upcoming production of Life Savers. The Playhouse is also partnering with SFU’s new theatre, which will be a part of the School for Contemporary Arts in the old Woodward’s building. Together with Civic Theatres, we are making great headway in creating the best possible experience in the Playhouse Theatre.
These are just some of the initiatives that I am working on, on behalf of the Playhouse. Some of these initiatives are taking place now; others will unfold and develop over the coming year.
We take our leadership role very seriously. It is reflected on our stage as well as in our business practices, such as the best ticket prices, the strongest partnerships and community relations. Our mandate is to be recognized as a cultural leader producing plays of the highest quality. With new pricing, new flexibility in policies and consistently great production values, we lead in making great art accessible to the widest audience in Vancouver.
Max
