Articles — Stir

Cosí fan tutte gets a vintage-Canadian refresh under director Robert Herriot at Vancouver Opera

The Winnipeg artist brings experience as a tenor to a Mozart opera reimagined in a 1930s Rockies resort, complete with Mounties and log drivers

MUSICJanet SmithJanuary 27, 2026Vancouver Opera, VANCOUVER OPERA, Mozart, Homepage feature

In The Brutal Joy, Justine A. Chambers channels the overwhelming beauty of Black living

With staging that evokes a Chicago jazz bar, the Dance Centre and PuSh Festival co-presentation draws on matrilineal fashion and line dancing

Shadbolt Centre hosts Burnaby Lyric Opera’s The Barber of Seville this February

Romance, deception, and mistaken identities abound in Gioachino Rossini’s beloved comic masterpiece

Theatre review: You’re Just a Place That I Know is a moving musical reflection on family and memory

Based on Adrian Glynn McMorran’s album of the same name, the show at the Arts Club’s BMO Theatre Centre is more than just a concert

THEATRE, MUSICJanet SmithJanuary 26, 2026Arts Club Theatre Company, Marcus Youssef, Adrian Glynn, Ukraine, Homepage feature

Theatre review: Comedic snap of Metro Theatre’s Barefoot in the Park gives retro setting a timeless resonance

Sharp dialogue and restless energy, prodded on by the little irritations of married life, result in cozy yet unsettling laughs

THEATREJanet SmithJanuary 26, 2026Metro Theatre, Homepage feature

Ballet BC highlights masterful choreographers Crystal Pite and Jiří Kylián with INFINITY, February 26 to 28

Program features Pite’s Frontier, a deep dive into the unknown, and Kylián’s 27’52”, an exploration of theoretical elements

DANCEStir VancouverJanuary 26, 2026Partner Content, Ballet BC, BALLET BC

Dance review: JEZEBEL challenges the stereotype of the booty-poppin’ backup dancer

In a riveting PuSh Festival and New Works copresentation, Belgium’s Cherish Menzo plays with repetition, chopped-and-screwed music, and flashing dental grillz

DANCE, FESTSJanet SmithJanuary 23, 2026New Works, PuSh Festival

Les Furies rolls out the fun in story of small-town derby team, January 28

Visions Ouest screens raucous tale of women ousted from their Quebec rink and ready for revenge, at Alliance Française

Ventriloquist Michael Harrison embraces the magical escapism of puppetry

Ahead of his Anvil Theatre show, the long-time cruise-line performer talks about dispelling childhood fears with lovable characters

THEATRE, COMEDYJanet SmithJanuary 23, 2026Anvil Theatre, Anvil Centre, Michael Harrison

Cellist Henry Shapard plays Prokofiev with the VSO at Beethoven’s Eroica, February 20 to 22

Han-Na Chang conducts Beethoven’s revolutionary Third Symphony

MUSICStir VancouverJanuary 23, 2026Partner Content, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, VSO

Review: Liquid limbs and mesmerizing visual magic at Recirquel’s Paradisum

In DanceHouse and The Cultch co-presentation, the Hungarian company is full of flowing bodies and rippling fabric

DANCE, THEATREJanet SmithJanuary 22, 2026DANCEHOUSE, DanceHouse, The Cultch, THE CULTCH, Vancouver Civic Theatres

Corey Payette spotlights songs from his acclaimed musicals at Closest Thing to Home, January 28

The renowned theatre artist and composer offers a stirring collection of tunes from acclaimed shows such as Children of God and Starwalker

MUSIC, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithJanuary 22, 2026Corey Payette, Raven Theatre, Urban Ink Theatre, the Cultch, THE CULTCH

Ghanaian music scholar Kofi Gbolonyo leads upbeat Celebrate Africa! event at BlueShore at CapU, January 30

Long-time UBC and CapU faculty member puts on a show featuring dozens of local musicians, plus vocalists Dawn Pemberton and Khari McClelland

Collaboration opens new sonic horizons for jazz guitarist Jocelyn Gould

The Winnipeg-based artist looks forward to onstage exchanges with diverse musical peers on International Guitar Night

MUSICJanet SmithJanuary 22, 2026Massey Theatre, International Guitar Night

You're the Top! brings the songs of Cole Porter to the Anvil Theatre, February 14

Event hosted by Michael van den Bos features Hollywood film projections and live music by the Laura Crema Sextet

MUSIC, SCREENStir VancouverJanuary 22, 2026Partner Content, Anvil Theatre

Stir Q&A: Chicago’s Dumb John brings fearless comic energy to Improv Centre showcase The Heat

Troupe members Mike Geraghty and Linda Orr talk early days in punk-rock basements and the power of trust onstage ahead of the five-day international comedy festival

COMEDYJanet SmithJanuary 21, 2026The Improv Centre, Granville Island, Homepage feature