Vital Spark Theatre expands on a Jane Austen plot in The Watsons, May 2 to 18
Playwright Laura Wade picks up where Austen’s novel about 19-year-old Emma Watson’s love life left off

The Watsons.
Vital Spark Theatre presents Laura Wade’s The Watsons, which explores what happens when a writer loses the plot, at the Jericho Arts Centre from May 2 to 18.
Emma Watson, who’s 19 and new in town, has been cut off by her rich aunt and dumped back in the family home. She and her sisters must marry fast—if not, they face poverty, spinsterhood, or worse, an eternity with their boorish brother and his awful wife. While there are plenty of potential suitors for the girls to dance with, there’s one small problem: Jane Austen didn’t finish the story. Who will write Emma’s happy ending now?
Directed by Joan Bryans and based on Austen’s incomplete novel of the same name, The Watsons is a sparklingly witty play that asks what characters can do when their author abandons them.
Tickets to the production’s North American premiere are available through Vital Spark Theatre.
Post sponsored by Vital Spark Theatre.
Related Articles
Playwright Katherine Gauthier’s fly-on-the-wall production at Pacific Theatre follows five people in a group therapy session as they exchange intimate thoughts
City council throws support behind feasibility study’s call for world-class mid-size venue and recital hall
Wild treadmill antics, nostalgic-’90s circus, and new work by the likes of Corey Payette, Carmen Aguirre, Anais West, Veda Hille, and Maiko Yamamoto
Zahida Rahemtulla’s new play reflects three versions of what it meant to hold things together during the 2016 refugee resettlement initiative
Western Gold Theatre finds unique paths through the mysteries of Caryl Churchill’s innovative play on aging and dying
At Progress Lab 1422, a pair of tracks feature multidisciplinary works by Howard Dai, Paige Louter, Cameron Peal, and more
Roster also includes the troupe’s 40th panto, Jack and the Beanstalk, plus Neil Simon, Lend Me a Tenor, Shakespeare in Love, and more
Ten episodes feature play excerpts and interviews with emerging theatre artists who identify with D/disability
Annual accolade honours an individual who has significantly enriched Metro Vancouver’s arts and culture community
Seventy years after the classic musical’s debut, its theme of love transcending hate continues to inspire performers and audiences
Offerings at The Cultch span coming-of-age stories, puppetry, musical theatre, and more
The journey through Cree artist’s real-life memories follows a young Indigenous girl growing up in Alberta
The offbeat logic of being a kid gets tangled up with adult social dynamics in Clare Barron’s acclaimed play
Director Andrew Kushnir says Nick Green’s play also highlights the key role of the Princess of Wales in destigmatizing contact with patients
Driven by humour and Dolly Parton tunes, Royal City Musical Theatre’s inspired take on ’70s-era office politics is boldly relevant
At The Cultch, the politically pointed show interweaves songs, storytelling, and satire in a battle cry for Asian femmes
Valerie Methot says new play takes place in the near future, following an apocalyptic storm
Codirectors Cameron Mackenzie and Diane Roberts unpack the story of two friends struggling with political differences after the Black Lives Matter protest at a Toronto Pride Parade
At Vital Spark Theatre, Joan Bryans directs the adaptation that explores what could happen if the characters decide their own fates
Director Cory Haas reflects on how six characters emphasize the importance of proper communication and unapologetic individuality
Among the theatre offerings in store are Same Same Different, I Wish I Was a Mountain, and The Libravian