Articles — Stir

Theatre review: Think fun 1950s nostalgia as CTORA Productions stages Grease

Musical numbers consistently land with energy and flair in a production that boasts strong performances and choreography

THEATREJanet SmithMay 12, 2026CTORA Theatre, CTORA

Arts Umbrella Dance Company hosts Memento Mori: A Season Finale Performance, May 21 to 23

Vancouver Playhouse show features works by several world-renowned choreographers, including Crystal Pite, Sharon Eyal, and Medhi Walerski

DANCEStir VancouverMay 12, 2026Partner Content, Arts Umbrella, ARTS UMBRELLA

Theatre review: Cheeky charm and energy abound in Metro Theatre's pink-powered Legally Blonde

Vancouver newcomer Celeste Nicholson heads a strong cast with enough verve to delight even those who are very familiar with the show.

THEATREJanet SmithMay 11, 2026Metro Theatre, Homepage feature

Kunsang Kyirong’s 100 Sunset peers into hidden daily lives of Tibetan-Canadian community

With influences including Hideaki Anno and Alfred Hitchcock, debut feature by Surrey-raised director builds uncanny atmosphere as a quiet young woman points her camera into neighbours’ windows

SCREENJanet SmithMay 11, 2026The CInematheque, Tibetan Canadian, Homepage feature

Dance review: In FOR GLASS, the artists of Ballet BC display uninhibited emotion

Set to music by Philip Glass, Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber’s latest piece focuses on everyday moments and palpable intimacy

DANCEJanet SmithMay 11, 2026Ballet BC, Bobbi Jene Smith, Or Schraiber

Stir Cheat Sheet: Two artists worth checking out at Emily Carr University’s The Show

Here’s a snapshot of just two form-pushing talents out of the more than 400 on view at the giant exhibition, May 13 to 27

Doors Open Richmond spotlights local culture and heritage at 19th annual edition, June 6 and 7

Two-day event takes place at over 40 sites across the city

CULTUREStir VancouverMay 11, 2026Partner Content, Doors Open Richmond, Richmond Museum

Saigon Story, Namesake təm kʷaθ nan among winners at DOXA 2026 awards

Illustrated Legacies: Graveyard of the Pacific wins Nigel Moore Award; And the Fish Fly Above Our Heads و الأسماك تطير فوق رؤوسنا named best feature

FESTS, NEWS, SCREENJanet SmithMay 10, 2026NFB, DOXA, DOXA Documentary Film Festival, National Film Board

The Last One for the Road follows two barflies through the back side of Veneto, at VIFF Centre, to May 14

Down-and-out buddies follow the randomness of life in evocatively shot Italian film by Francesco Sossai

SCREENJanet SmithMay 9, 2026VIFF, VIFF. Centre

VSO puts Russian masters on display in Pictures at an Exhibition, May 15 and 17

Guest conductor Peter Oundjian and pianist Simon Trpčeski are featured in program of works by Modest Mussorgsky, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and U.S. composer Joan Tower

A Choral Feast 4 brings Vancouver Chamber Choir together with two Alberta ensembles, May 14

Edmonton’s Chronos Vocal Ensemble and Calgary’s Luminous Voices add vocal power to a program that’s strong on contemporary composers

MUSICJanet SmithMay 8, 2026Vancouver Chamber Choir

Grease’s retro trip starts with its energized songs, to May 17 at the Granville Island Stage

CTORA Productions’ new version of the hit musical brings back nostalgic numbers like “Summer Nights”

THEATRE, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithMay 8, 2026CTORA Theatre, CTORA

Museum of Anthropology displays a visionary artist’s collection in I Use My Haida Eyes: The History Robes of Jut-ke-Nay–Hazel Wilson, opening May 14

Wilson’s 50 painted and appliquéd robes document specific episodes of Haida history, representing an expansion of traditional Indigenous form

ART & DESIGNStir VancouverMay 8, 2026Partner Content, Museum of Anthropology, MOA, UBC

Dancing on the Edge announces 30-show program for June 4 to 13

Amid the offerings are names like Lukas Malkowski, Belle Spirale Dance Projects, O.Dela Arts and musica intima, and much more

Co.ERASGA’s Undivided Colours bridges forms, from Bharatanatyam to Asian Flamenco, May 14 and 15

Marking Asian Heritage Month, the show features names like Kasandra La China, Andrea Nann, and Sujit Vaidya

DANCE, WHAT'S STIRRINGJanet SmithMay 7, 2026Alvin Erasga Tolentino, Co.ERASGA

Stir Q&A: Ablaye Cissoko and Cyrille Brotto merge their musical traditions

The French accordionist and the Senegalese singer and kora player began their joint musical adventure thanks to a “slightly mad request”

MUSICJanet SmithMay 7, 2026Blueshore at CapU

Acclaimed director Sophy Romvari creates emotion-charged family portrait in Blue Heron

At the VIFF Centre, debut feature by fast-rising filmmaker splices past and present in a powerful story that is part time-travel fiction, part nostalgic vision of ’90s Vancouver Island

SCREENJanet SmithMay 7, 2026VIFF Centre, Homepage feature

Vancouver Folk Music Festival reveals details of its 2026 Mainstage lineup

This year’s picks include old-school country, introspective singer-songwriters, voodoo-infused ritual, and one U.K. legend who really needs no introduction