Arts Club Theatre Company Announces In-Person 2021-2022 Season

Today, the Arts Club Theatre Company's Artistic Director Ashlie Corcoran and Executive Director Peter Cathie White announced the full 2021-2022 season programming for the province's leading non-profit theatre organization.

A total of five in-person shows are planned for the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. This November will mark the first time that the company's largest and most popular venue will be open to the public since the start of the pandemic.

Corcoran said, "We so look forward to bringing our patrons and artists back to the Stanley, with a subscription series of i??ve shows from just before Christmas to the summer. Our intention is to welcome them back to our flagship venue with celebratory joy.

"These shows highlight what makes theatre unique-being together as the lights dim, anticipating the story about to unfold, and experiencing the thrill of live music, the buzz of comedy, and the empathy that comes from seeing the world through another's eyes. And, as always, we aspire to enrich people's lives with meaningful storytelling."

Cathie White added, "Four of the i??ve shows in this Stanley Series are productions that were cancelled because of Covid, with the i??fth being a Canadian premiere of a holiday classic, with a country twist. In programming shows that we were forced to cancel, we hope to re-engage as many artists as possible who were previously involved."

The Arts Club's post-pandemic transitional season will kick off with the Canadian premiere of Dolly Parton's Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol, which was revealed last month. This heartwarming new musical, adapted from Dickens's A Christmas Carol, features music and lyrics by the iconic Dolly Parton. The four other shows are Made in Italy, a musical coming of age in 1970s Alberta; Kim's Convenience, the Canadian comedy phenomenon; 'da Kink in my Hair, a resonant musical celebration of women of colour; and Kinky Boots, the big-hearted blockbuster musical.

In addition to these in-person productions, the Arts Club will advance the audio play initiative that was created during the pandemic. Listen to This: Audio Play Series will feature four original Canadian scripts commissioned by the company.

Corcoran said, "We created Listen to This to allow us to honour existing contracts with commissioned playwrights and also initiate adaptations of stage scripts developed through our various artistic programs. To continue offering employment to more theatre artists, we'll premiere four audio plays in our 2021-2022 season that are ambitious in size, diverse in scope, and detailed in process."

All performances will be produced and presented in adherence with the most current safety guidelines established by the B.C. government. The health and safety of all patrons, staff, and artists is the Arts Club's top priority.

2021-2022 ARTS CLUB SEASON

IN-PERSON SHOWS AT THE STANLEY INDUSTRIAL ALLIANCE STAGE

Dolly Parton'S SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS CAROL

Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Adapted by David H. Bell, Paul T. Couch & Curt Wollan

Book by David H. Bell

Music & Lyrics by Dolly Parton

November 18, 2021-January 2, 2022 Canadian Premiere

Set during the 1930s in the Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee, this joyful musical imagines Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a mining company town, where his callous greed blinds him to the gifts of the season. As a Christmas Eve snowstorm approaches, Scrooge is visited by his deceased business partner and three ghosts who compel him to see life and love anew. Dickens's classic characters and Parton's one-of-a-kind songwriting expertise make this a holiday event you'll want to share with friends and family.

Starring David Adams as Scrooge; Bobby Garcia, Director; Ken Cormier, Musical Director; Julio Fuentes, Choreographer; Shizuka Kai, Set Designer; Carmen Alatorre, Costume Designer; Parjad Sharifi, Lighting Designer; Kevin Gault, Sound Designer

MADE IN ITALY

By Farren Timoteo

January 13-February 13, 2022

Meet Francesco Mantini, a second-generation Italian teen struggling to find his place in Jasper, Alberta. Inspired by pop culture icons Rocky Balboa and John Travolta, he reinvents himself as Frank Martin: crooner and ladies' man. As buoyant and bubbly as a glass of prosecco, Made in Italy is a celebration of music, food, and family that's so delightful you won't soon fuhgeddaboudit.

Starring Farren Timoteo; Daryl Cloran, Director; Cory Sincennes, Set Designer; Cindy Wiebe, Costume Designer; Conor Moore, Lighting Designer; Michelle Cuttler, Sound Designer

KIM'S CONVENIENCE

By Ins Choi

Based on the Pacific Theatre production

February 24-March 27, 2022

Mr. Kim, a Korean shopkeeper, grapples with both a changing neighbourhood landscape and the chasm between him and his second-generation offspring. This journey of a fractured but loving family forgiving the past and confronting the future is a new Canadian classic. Ins Choi's hilarious and touching debut play inspired the hit TV show of the same name.

Kaitlin Williams, Director; Soran Nakai, Assistant Director; Carolyn Rapanos, Set Designer; Jessica Oostergo, Costume Designer; Jonathan Kim, Lighting Designer; Chengyan Boon, Sound Designer

'DA KINK IN MY HAIR

By Trey Anthony

April 14-May 15, 2022

"If you want to know about a woman, touch her hair." At Novelette's Toronto salon, captivating stories untangle as eight distinctive women narrate their lives with honesty, humour, and joy. Both heartbreaking and uplifting, 'da Kink in my Hair is a musical testament to the challenges and triumphs in the lives of contemporary Black women.

Ray Hogg, Director & Choreographer; Mary Ancheta, Musical Director; Kevin McAllister, Set Designer; Nalo Soyini Bruce, Costume Designer; Itai Erdal, Lighting Designer

KINKY BOOTS

Book by Harvey Fierstein

Music & Lyrics by Cyndi Lauper

Based on the Miramax motion picture Kinky Boots, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth

June 9-July 31, 2022

Based on a true story, this rousing Tony Award-winning show-with a score by pop icon Cyndi Lauper-follows Charlie, who is struggling to save the men's shoe factory inherited from his father. When all seems lost, a chance encounter with the fabulous drag queen Lola spurs an idea for creating "women's boots for women who are men." The unexpected underdog duo soon outfit themselves for success in this joyously infectious musical that celebrates compassion and acceptance.

Barbara Tomasic, Director; Ken Cormier, Musical Director; Julie Tomaino, Choreographer; Pam Johnson, Set Designer; Barbara Clayden, Costume Designer; Chris Daniels, Sound Designer

AUDIO PLAYS (AVAILABLE ON SPOTIFY, APPLE PODCASTS, ARTSCLUB.COM)

THE CULL

By Michele Riml & Michael St. John Smith

A Biting New Drama

Streaming November 4, 2021-July 4, 2022

REDBONE COONHOUND

By Amy Lee Lavoie & Omari Newton

A Hard-Hitting New Comedy

Streaming January 27-September 27, 2022

THE WRONG BASHIR

By Zahida Rahemtulla

A Hilarious Story of Mistaken Identity

Streaming March 24-November 24, 2022

TITLE TBD

By Quelemia Sparrow

A New Audio Experience About This Land

Streaming June 2, 2022-February 2, 2023

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