George Bizet’s Carmen

When & Where April 27 at 7:30pm, April 28, 2pm, May 2 at 7:30pm, May 4 at 7:30pm & May 5 at 2pm | Queen Elizabeth Theatre

This passionate story is told through seductive arias and enduring, richly coloured melodies. Rachel Peake returns to Vancouver Opera to direct Carmen alongside conductor Leslie Dala for a five-show engagement. Carmen will be portrayed by Sandra Piques. Alok Kumar and Matthew White will both perform the role of Don José.

Ticket prices from $79. Purchase online at: vancouveropera.ca/overview/carmen

The Cultch in association with Neworld Theatre
Fat Joke written and performed by Cheyenne Rouleau

When & Where April 25 – May 05, 2024; evenings 7.30pm, Sat & Sun matinees at 2pm | Vancity Culture Lab, 1895 Venables St

A mix of stand-up comedy, storytelling, and fact-blasting, Fat Joke puts fatphobia under the spotlight. Drawing upon personal experience and research, comedian, actor, and writer Cheyenne Rouleau dissects this often-untalked-about topic with eviscerating wit.

Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/fat-joke

Metro Theatre
Moonlight & Magnolias

When & Where April 26 - May 18; evenings at 8pm, matinees on Sundays at 2pm | Metro Theatre, 1370 MarineDrive SW, Vancouver

An uproarious comedy that virtually guarantees laughter and entertainment! The iconic David O. Selznick, knee-deep into the filming of Gone with the Wind, suddenly realizes the script is a complete disaster and the director is clueless. With just five days to salvage the production before it shuts down, David hastily scrambles to replace the director and screenwriter to restart the shoot. Enter a fresh-faced film director, and a renowned screenwriter. The three of them embark on a whirlwind week-long journey to wrangle Margaret Mitchell's mammoth novel into a coherent screenplay.

Tickets Reg aduld $36, Seniors & Students $33, Preview $25. Call the box office 604-266-7191 OR Purchase online: tickets.metrotheatre.com/TheatreManager/

23rd Annual DOXA Documentary Film Festival

When & Where May 2 – 12, 2024 | Various locations in Vancouver

This year’s Festival will showcase a total of 48 features and mid-lengths, 34 short films, as well as Industry events and multiple opportunities for filmmakers, audiences and industry professionals to connect. Screenings will take place at The Vancouver Playhouse (Opening), The Cinematheque, VIFF Centre and SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, with industry events held at SFU’s World Art Centre and The Post at 750

Tickets General Admission $16, Students (with valid ID), Seniors (65+) $14, Accessible $14. Purchase online: www.doxafestival.ca/tickets





The Cultch & Urban Ink
Homecoming by Kamila Sedi ego

When & Where May 2 12, 2024; evenings 7.30pm, Sat & Sun matinees at 2pm | Historic Theatre, 1895 Venables St., Vancouver

Ana, a first-generation Filipino Canadian, asks questions her mother is too pained to even hear. Instead, she searches for answers from her uncooperative and estranged aunt from the Philippines. Homecoming is a visceral show with moments of magic and laughter, exploring cultural identity and familial duty. It asks what is home for those who are displaced, who are stuck, or who have never known a home.

Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/homecoming

 
Salish Sea Early Music Festival
Three Centuries of Folk Song

When & Where Friday, May 10, 2024 at 7.00pm | St. Mary's Kerrisdale, 2490 West 37th Avenue, Vancouver

The Salish Sea Early Music Festival presents a program of music drawn from folksong from 1620, 1720 and 1820. Music by Van Eyck, and Barsanti, Oswald, Turlough, Beethoven and their contemporaries will be performed on a variety of plucked instruments and 7 flutes and by guitarist and lutenist Oleg Timofeyev and flutist Jeffrey Cohan.

Tickets suggested donation (a free will offering) of $20 to $30. Those 18 & under are free. For additional information please see: www.salishseafestival.org/Vancouver

Pacific Theatre
A Case For The Existence Of God by Samuel D. Hunter
When & Where May 16 -June 9, 2024; : Wed-Thurs at 7:30pm, Fri-Sat at 8pm, Sat & Sun matinees at 2pm I Pacific Theatre, 1440 W. 12th Avenue

Two young fathers - a mortgage broker, and a plant worker desperate to buy a piece of land - meet to discuss a loan in an unassuming cubicle. As Keith and Ryan grapple with the realities of adulthood, a shared quest for meaning and belonging transcends the systems that fence them in.

Tickets $15-$40 available online at www.pacifictheatre.org or by phone at 604.731.5518

Theatre Under The Stars
CATS

When & Where July 5 to August 23, 2024; evenings at 8pm (fireworks nights at 7pm) | Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park

While the moon shines bright up above, all manner of curious cats and feisty felines creep forth for their annual gathering. Each of the Jellicle Tribe are exceptional and astonishing in their own right – but come the dawn, only one can be selected to ascend to the Heaviside Layer. One of the longest-running and most beloved musicals in Broadway and West End history, CATS is overflowing with unforgettable songs, including ‘Mr Mistoffelees,’ ‘Macavity: The Mystery Cat,’ and, the all-time favourite, ‘Memory.’

Theatre Under The Stars
School of Rock

When & Where July 7 to August 24, 2024; evenings at 8pm (fireworks nights at 7pm) | Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park

Kicked out of his band and facing eviction, life isn’t awesome for wannabe rock star Dewey Finn. But his fortunes change when he intercepts a phone call meant for his roommate – and seizes the opportunity to make some quick cash posing as a substitute teacher. Finding himself in front of a classroom of straight-laced, uptight private school kids, he realizes he has one lesson he can teach them: How to rock! In order to do so, he’s going to have to avoid the prying eyes of the school’s principal and parents.

Tickets Single adult $45, single youth $30. Youth Subscriptions (12 and under): $60; Subscription Package Value: $145. Purchase online: www.etix.com/ticket/k/16932260/2024-tuts

ONGOING

The Firehall Arts Centre
This Is How We Got Here by Keith Barker

When & Where April 13 – 28, evenings at 7:30pm, Sat & Sun at 3pm & Wed at 1pm | Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova Street

Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, This Is How We Got Here follows a close-knit family still dealing with the lingering trauma of an unexpected loss. A family must learn how to move forward after their shared grief as they re-learn how to interact with one another through humour, forgiveness, and love.

Tickets from $30 at firehallartscentre.ca OR call 604.689.0926

The Cultch
You used to call me Marie… by Tai Amy Grauman

When & Where April 18 – 24, 2024; evenings at 7:30pm, matinees on Sat & Sun at 2pm | York Theatre, 639 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Experience the love stories of Alberta’s Métis Callihoo women. You used to call me Marie… follows Iskwewo, Napew, and Mistatim in eight intertwined stories of love and resilience as the Métis nation emerges across the plains. Through stories of the fur trade, governance, and organizing in the 1930s and into the present day, the story of Marie Callihoo unfurls through generations and time.

Tickets from $29. Single tickets on sale now through The Cultch’s Box Office: 604-251-1363 or thecultch.com/event/you-used-to-call-me-marie

The Arts Club Theatre Company
Sexy Laundry by Michele Riml

When & Where April 11 to May 2, 2024; evenings Tue – Thu at 7:30pm, Fri & Sat at 8pm, matinees on Wed at 1:30pm and Sat & Sun at 2pm | Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver

In Sexy Laundry, Alice and Henry are coming to grips with their lacklustre sex life. Time, kids, and stress—not to mention gravity—have taken their toll. In an effort to rekindle the magic in their 25-year marriage, they go on a naughty hotel retreat, equipped with a copy of Sex for Dummies. But they soon find that when the clothes come off, so do the gloves.

Tickets from $29. More info at artsclub.com