Stir is a digital media organization dedicated to covering Vancouver’s arts and culture scene through independent journalism.
Stir is a digital media organization dedicated to covering Vancouver’s arts and culture scene through independent journalism.
The Cultch Historic Theatre
The TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival.
The York Theatre
The Cultch operate three theatres, a gallery, and various multi-use spaces in the heart of East Vancouver. The 200-seat Historic Theatre and the intimate black-box Vancity Culture Lab are housed in a renovated church, constructed in 1909 and then transformed into a theatre in the mid-’70s. In 2009, the facility unveiled a $14-million reno that qualified for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver designation. The heart of the Cultch, the main proscenium stage is famous for its scrollwork balcony has hosted hundreds of performances from here and around the world.
A few blocks away on Commercial Drive, the York Theatre started its life as The Alcazar Theatre in 1913. Renamed the New York Theatre and rescued from the wrecking ball in 2013, it was renovated to become The Cultch’s 355-seat third theatre space and home to its wildly popular holiday tradition, the East Van Panto.
Helmed by executive director Heather Redfern since 2007, the Cultch hosts shows across genres, including theatre, dance, music, circus, and visual arts, as well as the Transform Cabaret Festival. It has become the home away from home for many local theatre companies in Vancouver, providing performance space and support to lift up the work of smaller companies.
It’s also made its name for diverse and inclusive programming—a mandate that earned it a 2019 Jessie Richardson Theatre Award: the Vancouver NOW Representation inclusion prize for the deliberate curation and programming of productions that show the city we live in onstage.
The arts hub also offers innovative, youth-driven arts programming and professional development opportunities to aspiring young artists and arts lovers aged 13-26, providing a gathering place for performance and mentorship.
Normally, more than 250 presentations each season are seen by well over 50,000 people at the Cultch.
Wild treadmill antics, nostalgic-’90s circus, and new work by the likes of Corey Payette, Carmen Aguirre, Anais West, Veda Hille, and Maiko Yamamoto
Multitalented team of Deanna H. Choi and Maddie Bautista turns a satirical spotlight on the destructive ideal of the perfect Asian woman
The offbeat logic of being a kid gets tangled up with adult social dynamics in Clare Barron’s acclaimed play
At The Cultch, the politically pointed show interweaves songs, storytelling, and satire in a battle cry for Asian femmes
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 The Cultch’s Warrior Festival, circus performers alternate between base and flyer, dismantling long-standing assumptions
Clare Barron’s Pulitzer Prize–nominated production traces themes of friendship and jealousy as young athletes train for a national title
At The Cultch’s Warrior Festival, comedic writers Katey Hoffman and Cheyenne Rouleau explore a messy new life phase
Offerings also include Hungary’s circus-dance company Recirquel, as well as Robert Lepage and Guillaume Côté’s visually striking take on Shakespeare’s Hamlet
Niall McNeil’s new play draws on his love of Disney’s fairy-tale flick and his life as an artist with Down Syndrome
Blending musical theatre with traditional Indigenous forms, writer-director Corey Payette creates a depiction of residential schools that keeps growing in importance
Presented by The Cultch, this vivid play taps into Disney and Cocteau with an enchanting combination of theatre, dance, and visual art
Pulitzer Prize finalist Dance Nation headlines the festival, which features fierce and funny works of theatre, comedy, and circus
Touchstone Theatre presents acclaimed writer Anosh Irani’s play about isolation and brotherhood
The musical marks a meaningful—and often moving—departure for a Métis actor better known for standup, music, and comedy work
With its anonymous playwright, the Pi Theatre production faces the unease and violence beneath Hong Kong’s bustling surface
Nlaka’pamux playwright Kevin Loring mines stereotypes for sharp comedy and dark insights on an absurd world
From a Pulitzer finalist about pre-teen competitive dancers to a masterclass in Hong Kong food, there’s plenty to dive into this season
Through projected footage and photographs, Erdal chronicles the last nine months of his mother’s life following a terminal cancer diagnosis
The production written and directed by Nlaka’pamux playwright Kevin Loring is a land-claims farce
Tickets are now on sale for Little Red Warrior & His Lawyer, How to Disappear Completely, Children of God, and Beauty and The Beast: My Life
With a more melancholy undercurrent behind the biting laughs, Ronnie Burkett’s latest show gives voice to the marginalized and the misunderstood
The master storyteller’s latest play opens with Joe and his dog facing ejection from their longtime home, with seemingly nowhere to go
Sculptural movement flows against luminous set design—but the highlight is still the raucous third act
In a co-presentation by BlueShore at CapU and The Cultch, the singer-songwriter plays tunes from her latest album, Strange Medicine
Production by Theatre Conspiracy and Pandemic Theatre sheds light on the treacherous journey faced by asylum seekers crossing the Aegean Sea
New twist on a classic ballet is full of beauty and wit, breaking new ground for the Aussie modern-circus troupe
Random scenes and songs that stood out across music, theatre, opera, and dance
Pantos, waltzes, and stage musicals are just a few of the ways for culture vultures to ring in 2025
Christmas tunes translated by elders into the endangered Haida language to be performed at December 21 concert
1895 Venables St.
Vancouver
V5L 2H6
