BlueShore Theatre at CapU

BlueShore at CapU: A theatre that cultivates collaboration.  

Located at North Vancouver's Capilano University, the BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts is a beautiful theatre and concert hall that presents jazz, folk and classical music concerts, speakers, and theatrical performances.  

In 2022, BlueShore at CapU celebrated its 25th anniversary. In a quarter of a century, the theatre has presented more than 1,000 shows. 

When it launched in October, 1997, as the Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre, the 372-seat centre was celebrated as a much-needed performance space for supporting and showcasing students of the institution's performing arts programs. The centre has evolved to encompass a broad range of artistic programming including the CapU Jazz Series, CapU Global Roots Series, Classical/Choral Series, Theatre Series, Speaker Series and the North Shore Jazz Series (a co-production with Vancouver International Jazz Festival). The name changed in September 2013 to honour a sponsorship arrangement with BlueShore Financial.  

The BlueShore at CapU's mandate, first and foremost, is “to provide a working laboratory for Fine and Applied Arts students,” says BlueShore at CapU’s Executive Director Sandra McRae. “This includes performance opportunities for theatre and music students as well as hands-on experience for the Arts and Entertainment Management students to work on professional shows."  

The BlueShore at CapU's mission is to produce multiple performance series characterized by artistic excellence, diversity of genre, gender, age, culture and styles that push boundaries and take artistic risks with the goal of challenging their audiences’ perceptions and beliefs.  

The core values of BlueShore at CapU include the cultivation and nurturing of partnerships with peer arts organizations that have subsequently led to numerous co-presentations and the sharing of resources and expertise. BlueShore at CapU’s values also include supporting local, national and international artists through performance opportunities as well as assisting their tours with advocacy to like-minded presenters. “It’s all about sustained and diligent networking to keep the BlueShore's curation relevant, dynamic and global in scope,” says Fiona Black, director of programming at the theatre. 

Among the programming successes at BlueShore at CapU is an annual concert that features, on average, 20 local artists who reimagine a classic album with their own interpretations of the music. “It has proven to be very popular with our audiences and has generated collaborations that carry on beyond the annual concert,” says Black. “Local artists don't often get this opportunity to play together in a large group setting under this focused direction.”  

Many of BlueShore at CapU’s concerts are presented off-site as co-presentations with other arts organizations. “These co-presentations expand the diversity of programming and audience reach for both partners,” notes Black. As an example, the BlueShore at CapU’s music events with the Cultch – primarily a theatre/dance venue – expands the reach of their audience to music fans. Likewise, BlueShore at CapU is able to access audiences in different geographic locales. “It's a win-win for all involved increasing diversity of artistic options, patron reach and giving the performers in each series a range of options for venue type and size,” says Black. 

Performers presented by BlueShore at CapU, either on its own stage or elsewhere, include: Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden, Mose Allison, Arlo Guthrie, Tanya Tagaq, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Brad Mehldau, Bill Frisell, Black Umfolosi, JJ Cale, Rokia Traore and Buffy Saint Marie. Speakers include Margaret Atwood, Yann Martel, David Byrne, Anne Rice, and John Irving.