Where live theatre lives in Calgary
Culture is alive and flourishing in this Calgary, and nowhere more so than in its vibrant live-theatre scene. From classic to contemporary, G-rated to X-rated, searing drama to sidesplitting comedy, Calgary theatre companies offer a diverse array of performances for equally diverse audiences – from those who want to be stimulated intellectually and emotionally to those in search of a hearty laugh.
Theatre Calgary
220 9 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 5C4If there’s a granddaddy of live theatre in this city, it’s Theatre Calgary. The company is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2017. Theatre Calgary is your best bet for large and lavish productions including well-known classics, lesser-known musicals, the latest Tony Award winners and new Canadian comedies. Theatre Calgary is known for its annual production of A Christmas Carol, in which local actor Stephen Hair has taken a turn as Ebenezer Scrooge for more than two decades.
Vertigo Theatre
115 9 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 0P5For lovers of mystery theatre, Vertigo Theatre is your go-to destination. Originally named Pleiades Theatre, it was established more than three decades ago to stage classic whodunits by Dame Agatha Christie. Since then, Vertigo has expanded its lineup to offer contemporary psychological thrillers, while still giving a nod to the cozy mysteries of yesteryear. Vertigo is also home to the Y Stage Theatre Series, which delivers a bill of theatre-for-young-audiences offering fun for the entire family!
The Shakespeare Company
PO Box 22401, Calgary AB T2P 4J1The Shakespeare Company bills itself as Calgary’s classic theatre company. It’s the City’s premiere purveyor of Shakespearean productions, as well as high-quality stagings of scripts inspired by The Bard. The Shakespeare Company also performs at local schools.
Alberta Theatre Projects
220 9 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 5C4Around the corner from Theatre Calgary, in Arts Commons, is another of Calgary’s most prominent theatre companies: Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP). Known across Canada for its development and staging of new Canadian plays, ATP is also where you go for contemporary comedy and thought-provoking drama that explores “what’s now, what’s new and what’s next.”
Lunchbox Theatre
Lunchbox Theatre is recognized as one of the world’s longest running and most successful lunchtime theatre companies. It offers a 50-minute “noontime oasis for busy audience members” with a diverse lineup of one-act plays from upbeat musicals to offbeat comedies, many written by local playwrights. Lunchbox also hosts the annual Suncor Stage One Festival to encourage the creation and development of the one-act oeuvre.
Sage Theatre Society
200-816 7 Ave SW, Calgary AB T2P 1A1Sage Theatre is a dynamic contributor to the dissemination of edgy, thought-provoking theatre in Calgary from socio-cultural and political dramas to comedies with a social agenda. For example, Sage Theatre produced the Canadian premiere of My Name is Rachel Corrie about the pro-Palestinian peace activist killed by an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer. Sage hosts the Ignite! Festival for Emerging Artists every June to provide young artists with an opportunity to showcase and develop their skills.
Ground Zero Theatre
802 14 Ave SW, Calgary AB T2R 0N6Drugs, sex and lots of R-rated language. These are the requisite elements of a Ground Zero / Hit & Myth production. Presenting truly edgy theatre, from the blackest of comedies to the most disturbing of storylines, Ground Zero’s mandate is to offer Calgary audiences “an alternative to the alternative.” CockTales, anyone?
Downstage Performance Society
205 8 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2G 0K9“Theatre that creates conversation.” That’s what Downstage purports to do with its socially provocative productions that touch on issues from bullying to debt to the environment to homelessness to the relationship between oil and gas and agriculture. The Downstage Creation Ensemble generates its own performances as well as presenting those of other Canadian playwrights.
