The Cultch celebrates 50th anniversary season with contemporary circuses, local premieres, and East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast
The Search Party, Urban Ink, Neworld Theatre, frank theatre, Savage Society, and more local companies set to hit stages for 2023-24
East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast. Photo by Emily Cooper
Mirror Studio. Photo by Koone
Fairview, with Yasmine D’Oshun. Photo by Emily Cooper
THE CULTCH will mark its 50th-anniversary season with several locally created world premieres, a Beauty and the Beast-themed East Van Panto, and three big international contemporary-circus shows.
The critically acclaimed local company The Search Party (of this year’s hit Stupid Fucking Bird) kicks off the season at the Historic Theatre September 27 to October 8 with the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Fairview (in partnership with b current Performing Arts, Toronto).
Next spring, Neworld Theatre will present a brand new standup-meets-storytelling mashup about fat-phobia by Cheyenne Rouleau; called Fat Joke, it will be directed by Chelsea Haberlin, with dramaturgy by Jiv Parasram. Vancouver’s the frank theatre, meanwhile, stages Trey Anthony’s (‘Da Kink in My Hair) How Black Mothers Say I Love You, exploring complicated family dynamics (November 2 and 12). And Monster Theatre presents Pippa Mackie and Ryan Gladstone’s Fringe-circuit favourite Juliet: A Revenge Comedy, a hilarious retelling of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.
In the announcement of its 2023-24 lineup today, The Cultch revealed it would also present a trio of world premieres next spring from local companies: Aki Yaghoubi’s Parifam from Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (vAct) and Medusa Theatre; Kamila Sediego’s Homecoming from Urban Ink; and Tai Amy Grauman’s You Used to Call me Marie… from Savage Society.
Watch for Theatre Replacement’s hit East Van Panto to return with a warped twist on Beauty and the Beast, written by Jivesh Parasram and Christine Quintana, directed by Anita Rochon, and with music by Veda Hille. The not-so-traditional holiday tradition runs at the York from November 22 to January 7.
In the realm of contemporary circus, look for Te Tangi ā te Tūī, a world premiere from Aotearoa (New Zealand), created by Te Rēhia Theatre Company and The Dust Palace (The Goblin Market); it’s a mix of acrobatics and Māori storytelling, hitting the York Theatre from October 19 to 29. And with DanceHouse, The Cultch presents The Mirror, from Australia’s Gravity and Other Myths. And wrapping up the anniversary year is Cirque Alfonse’s Barbu, an Electro Trad Cabaret from Montreal’s favourite family circus troupe.
The Cultch will also continue its online RE/PLAY program in 2023-24, with feature presentations from Zee Zee Theatre’s National Queer & Trans Playwrighting Unit, Juliet: A Revenge Comedy (Monster Theatre), Bird by Kylie Vincent, How to Believe in Anything (the 2022 Cultchivating the Fringe winner), Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream (Indian Ink Theatre), East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast (Theatre Replacement), and the return of Clean/Espejos (Neworld Theatre).
Season Ticket Packages are available today, online here or by calling the box office at 604-251-1363. Patrons who purchase a Season Ticket Package before July 23, 2023, will receive one free Bring-a-Friend ticket for a show of their choosing (some limitations apply).
And watch for more surprise events to mark the golden anniversary.
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