The Plan for 2020 The Chemainus Theatre Festival has been performing live theatre on Vancouver Island for 28 seasons. It has grown stronger through each challenge it has faced – enduring epic snowstorms, windstorms, and economic downturns.   The Chemainus Theatre Festival has been working hard to assess the best possible plan to move forward in the 2020 Season and beyond.  We have been following the mandates of government officials, public health authorities, and medical professionals to address the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, staff, vo ..read more

Much has happened in the past few weeks, and we are committed to taking steps leading to equity and increased diversity and inclusion at the Chemainus Theatre Festival. We gratefully acknowledge we create theatre on the traditional territory of the Central Coast Salish peoples, particularly the Penelakut Tribe (https://penelakut.ca/). CTF also recognizes a need to better understand and take appropriate action to form stronger anti-oppressive and barrier-free policies, practices, and theatre. We look forward to building relationships and bridges as we anticipate returning from closure. As prom ..read more

The Plan for 2020 The Chemainus Theatre Festival has been performing live theatre on Vancouver Island for 28 seasons. It has grown stronger through each challenge it has faced – enduring epic snowstorms, windstorms, and economic downturns.   The Chemainus Theatre Festival has been working hard to assess the best possible plan to move forward in the 2020 Season and beyond.  We have been following the mandates of government officials, public health authorities, and medical professionals to address the health, safety, and well-being of our patrons, staff, vo ..read more

Updated March 13, 2020 at 4:30pm Dear Patrons, Chemainus Theatre Festival has made the difficult decision to cancel all remaining performances for The Marvelous Wonderettes as a precautionary measure in response to the spread of COVID-19 effective immediately. This temporary suspension of operations will include the Playbill Dining Room and the Gallery Gift Shop.We are acting in accordance with the advice from local public health authorities and in compliance with the directives from government agencies.  Their recommendations for social distancing would be difficult to guarantee in our theat ..read more

ROGER BEAN created the long-running hit The Marvelous Wonderettes (over 1,200 performances Off-Broadway), along with the sequels Wonderettes: Caps & Gowns, Winter Wonderettes, Wonderettes: Dream On, and the new large-cast Wonderettes: Glee Club Edition. Original cast albums for all Wonderettes shows are available from iTunes and Amazon. The Marvelous Wonderettes received the 2007 LA Ovation Award for Best Musical for its record-breaking Los Angeles run and continues to be an audience favorite in theatre companies throughout the country. Mr. Bean’s do-wop hit Life Could Be A Dream had a re ..read more

Who were you in high school? Were you that person ten years later? Did you revert back to that person at your high school reunion? Why? These are the questions I had the cast think about at the start of our process. Obviously, none of us attended high school in the 50s – so content and subject matter are at times, very different. But high school relationships haven’t changed – the tensions, the alliances, the gossip, the break-up-make-up cycles – all of that high school ‘stuff’ – we could relate to. High school is a tumultuous time of discovery, confusion, hormones, and growing up. At least f ..read more

In what is one of George Bernard Shaw’s most controversial plays, Mrs. Warren must attempt to reconcile with her disapproving daughter in a story sprinkled generously with sharp comedy and biting social commentary that remains relevant today. Elements of the play were borrowed from Shaw’s 1882 novel Cashel Byron’s Profession, about a man who becomes a boxer due to limited employment opportunities. Miss Janet Achurch (an actress and friend of Shaw’s), suggested that Shaw should put on the stage a real modern lady of the governing class—not the sort of thing that theatrical and critical authori ..read more

Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m an actor, director, and choreographer who currently resides in Victoria. I am also an educator who has taught acting and musical theatre in the public school system for the past 10 years. I love musicals and I really enjoy creating physical theatre. Why Narnia? I think the Narnia series is timeless and its appeal is multi-generational because of the core values embedded within the stories such as teaching kindness to others, the importance of courage, and selflessness. Ultimately the stories engage our imaginations which is exciting to readers, and of course ..read more

ABBA entered the world of the theatre when Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, along with lyricist Tim Rice, wrote their first musical, Chess. Chess proved to be a cult hit around the world, producing the hit singles, “One Night In Bangkok” and “I Know Him So Well.” It was Judy Craymer, the executive producer of Chess, who first recognized the inherent theatricality of ABBA’s pop songs. “The Winner Takes It All” suggested to her “the rollercoaster of love and loss,” she said, “It was extraordinarily theatrical.” She slowly began to work on her idea, sitting on the floor of her apartment, she r ..read more

How would you describe what you do? My job as a choreographer is to create all of the movement and dance that you see in a show. I work closely with the director to create work that supports the story we are telling. What’s a typical work week like? During rehearsals, we work six days a week – eight and a half hours a day. Once we get closer to show time, we start working longer days at the theatre in order to add all of the technical elements of the show like the costumes, lights and the set. How did you get started? My mom put me into dance when I was a little girl and I loved it. When I wa ..read more