Advance Theatre Festival brings five staged readings to the Shadbolt Centre, January 26 to 30
Ruby Slippers Theatre presentation features new works by Irene (Fan) Yi, Abi Padilla, Marcia Johnson, Alexandra Lainfiesta, and Sewit Eden Haile
(From left) Playwrights Alexandra Lainfiesta, Sewit Eden Haile, Abi Padilla, Marcia Johnson, and Irene (Fan) Yi.
Advance Theatre Festival: Advancing the Radically Inclusive Stage is bringing five staged readings to the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts from January 26 to 30. It is presented by Ruby Slippers Theatre in association with the Shadbolt Centre and Playwrights Guild of Canada.
Opening the festival on January 26 is Irene (Fan) Yi’s I Have a Dream in Chinese, a one-woman theatrical journey set aboard a flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver. On January 27, Abi Padilla’s Far and Free is a coming-of-age romantic comedy that takes place during the Philippines’ martial law era.
Marcia Johnson’s Just Like Paris, an Alberta-set Second World War play, is on January 28; and on January 29, Alexandra Lainfiesta’s magic-realist play Bella Luz follows a Guatemalan dancer’s quest for permanent residency.
Closing the festival on January 30 is Sewit Eden Haile’s Roald Dahl Doesn’t Care About You, about a self-run writer’s group navigating change.
All five performances take place at 8:30 pm. Tickets are available here.
Post sponsored by Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
Related Articles
In Upintheair Theatre’s annual event at The Cultch, opera, standup, puppets, and more mix together in experimental stage works about everything from eco disaster to cats
Vibrant musical brings a beloved story to life with a dynamic cast, nostalgic design, and live orchestra
Lee Hall’s stage adaptation of the well-known screenplay revels in what we think we know about the most famous playwright of all time
At the Firehall Arts Centre, Marlene Ginader’s comedic solo show sinks its teeth into media myths fuelled by true crime
Play written and directed by Valerie Methot in collaboration with diverse Metro Vancouver youth makes its world premiere
Lisa Horner plays a 16-year-old girl whose rare genetic condition gives her the appearance of a 72-year-old woman
At The Cultch’s York Theatre, the acclaimed writer and director turns to genre-blending Indigenous practices to open new perspectives on identity, land claims, and hope
Working from Kat Sandler’s darkly witty script, Synthia Yusuf and Nathan Kay range from sweet and innocent to defiant and dangerous
In their wickedly witty solo show at the Firehall Arts Centre, writer-actor Marlene Ginader and director Jenna Rodgers satirize the white-male-dominated world of the serial killer
In Alissa Watson’s adaptation of the beloved Robert Munsch book, Princess Elizabeth must rescue Prince Ronald from a Dragon
Pi Theatre show at Vines Den is Munish Sharma’s personal look at Bollywood, masculinity, and more
Fairy-tale adventure based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film is equal parts heartwarming and hilarious
Ojibway playwright Drew Hayden Taylor delivers a story about the world of counterfeit Indigenous art
At Gateway Theatre, Vancouver actor Synthia Yusuf delves into a Kat Sandler play that takes refreshing risks with the history behind the “Beauty and the Beast” folk tale
At The Cultch, The Search Party play’s strong performances, dry wit, and inventive staging capture the disorientation of addiction and the stories we tell ourselves about it
Story follows the passionate affair between penniless playwright Will and beautiful young woman Viola de Lesseps
Cyborg teenagers struggle with the same fears about technology that their human counterparts do in this visually spare, idea-charged production by UBC Theatre
Based on an early Agatha Christie story, the play focuses on a woman’s impulsive marriage to a charming mystery man
Multifaceted theatremakers Munish Sharma and Gavan Cheema bring an eight-year-long project to completion by working beyond stage conventions
Actor Brian Markinson says Lloyd Suh’s script takes artistic liberties with the life of Benjamin Franklin
With warped sitcom rhythms, Caroline Bélisle’s new play brings together two old friends to contend with contemporary ambivalence about bringing children into the world
