Firehall Arts Centre to Present 44th Anniversary Season in Vancouver

The Firehall has announced the programming for its 2026-2027 season.

'This season, we are offering our audiences unpredictable, entertaining, and provocative opportunities to connect through the shared experiences of theatre and dance performances,' says Firehall Arts Centre Artistic Producer, Donna Spencer. 'Incredibly talented creators will share stories of hope, collective and individual memory, identity, and imagination in many different forms. And in each telling of these stories, there is the uniqueness made possible by the aliveness of the sharing and the audiences who are there with the artists.'

Kicking things off is the Canadian premiere of Hideki Noda's Red Demon from October 8 to 18. Produced by rice & beans theatre and Gokko Creative Society, Red Demon explores themes of xenophobic fears of immigration and society's struggle with intolerance by telling the story of a creature who washes up on the shore of a small beach town. Unable to speak the language, the residents immediately label him a demon that came from the sea to eat them.

Audiences can take in Governor General Award-winning play Where the Blood Mixes from November 14 to December 6. Written and directed by N'lakap'mux playwright Kevin Loring and produced by the Firehall Arts Centre, this irreverently funny and brutally honest production asks: 'Can a person survive their past? Can people survive their history?' Where the Blood Mixes is a deeply personal story about loss and redemption, humanity, and survival.

Canadian dance artists Kirsten Wicklund and Peter Smida bring the world premiere of Horses Won't Follow to the Firehall stage from December 9 to 12. Six strangers arrive in a barren landscape suspended between reality and myth, where identities unravel and connections become uncertain. Wicklund and Smida unite their distinct yet integrated artistic voices to create a new full evening of contemporary dance theatre, pushing both artists toward new thresholds, probing the limits of narrative, agency, and endurance.

From December 16 to 24, audiences can bask in the warmth of the holiday season with the lush sounds of Krystle Dos Santos and her band in A Holly Jolly Jamboree. Take a trip down memory lane and celebrate the songs that make the season truly bright.

Firehall Arts Centre rings in 2027 with a recent hit performance from Dancing on the Edge Festival. Blocking, taking place January 6 to 9, is choreographed by Helen Walkley and danced by creative collaborator Josh Martin with serendipity, rigor, and ingenuity as he performs this solo work with 250 small cedar blocks.

Kelly Rebar's award-winning Canadian classic, Bordertown Café, takes the stage from January 16 to 31. Set in a dusty diner on the Alberta-Montana border, this sharp-witted dramatic comedy follows Jimmy, a 17-year-old caught between three generations of his eccentric, fiercely independent Canadian family and the alluring pull of his American truck-driver father. As Jimmy faces the life-altering choice to stay home or cross the border, his dilemma serves as a deeply touching metaphor for national and personal identity. A Firehall Arts Centre production.

Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sanaz Toossi's Wish You Were Here is a breathtaking and unabashed comedy-drama that draws on the relationships between five women during the escalation, height, and aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. Produced by Blackout Arts Society, and running February 4 to 14, Wish You Were Here chronicles a decade of life during war, as best friends forever become friends long lost, scattered, and searching for home.

Laugh through the chaos from March 20 to April 11 with the world premiere of Dumpster Fire: A Satirical Musical Revue of Here and Now, a collaborative creation produced by the Firehall Arts Centre. Through an unforgettable mix of music and story, this sharp new musical revue promises to have audiences laughing out loud while brilliantly satirizing the unique challenges – and absurdity – of the world today.

Tarragon Theatre production Benevolence will be presented on the Firehall stage from April 21 to May 9. Like many Canadians, playwright and performer Kevin Matthew Wong always wondered about his roots. Kevin is Hakka… he thinks! When he is asked to represent his community at a world conference, he wrestles with the decision to take part, and is confronted by whether or not he belongs as well as his own identity as he uncovers more about his origins. Benevolence is a charmingly intimate story spanning continents, migrations, and generations.

The Firehall closes its season with Sorry For Your Loss from May 13 to 23. A heartfelt and hilarious story written and performed by Cian Parker (Ngāpuhi), about growing up on the mean streets of Aotearoa (New Zealand) with a sometimes-there-mostly-not Dad. Parker shares her story about reclaiming her heritage when she is unexpectedly introduced to a father and a family she didn't know existed. Sorry For Your Loss is about the power of wāhine (women); and the gift of strength from one woman to another.

TOUR DATES

Red Demon: October 8 to 18

Where the Blood Mixes: November 14 to December 6

Horses Won't Follow: December 9 to 12

A Holly Jolly Jamboree: December 16 to 24

Blocking: January 6 to 9

Bordertown Café: January 16 to 31

Wish You Were Here: February 4 to 14

Dumpster Fire: A Satirical Musical Revue of Here and Now: March 20 to April 11

Benevolence: April 21 to May 9

Sorry For Your Loss: May 13 to 23

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