Live theatre is back, sort of, and slowly, but we’re here for the fantastic lineup of plays ready to hit the stage this spring starting as early as Feb. 9. After a mandatory break, theatres are preparing to welcome audiences again, first at 50 percent capacity and then full capacity when restrictions are lifted. As a result, an advance ticket purchase is necessary with limited seating. Some theatres may also have additional restrictions, so read through details when purchasing tickets. Here are some plays opening soon.
This Is How We Got Here, Shaw Festival
From Feb. 9-19, at the Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre (10 Queen’s Parade, Niagara-on-the-Lake), you can watch acclaimed director Keith Barker’s award-winning play This Is How We Got Here. In 2018, the play was a finalist for the Governor’s General Literary Award and won a 2020 Dora Award for Outstanding New Play. The production takes viewers through a journey of suicide, loss, and learning to let go. This Is How We Got Here is recommended for an audience of 14+ and will run for 75 minutes with no intermission.
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Canadian Stage
This month, Canadian Stage will feature two in-person public performances of Bertolt Brecht’s The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Marilyn and Charles Baillie Theatre on Berkeley Street on Feb. 25 and 26. This workshop production is an extension of the company’s innovative BMO Lab Residency Program. The production is adapted and directed by celebrated German director and actor Johanna Schall (also Bertolt Brecht’s granddaughter) and features Canadian Stage veteran actor Carly Street in the role of Arturo Ui.
The Antipodes, Coal Mine Theatre
In the city’s east end, Coal Mine Theatre will open its seventh season with Annie Baker’s The Antipodes. The play is directed by Ted Dykstra and stars Simon Bracken, Joshua Browne, Ari Cohen, Sarah Dodd, Colin Doyle, Murray Furrow, Qasim Khan, Varun Saranga, and Kelsey Verzotti. The play is described as “part satire, and part sacred rite, The Antipodes asks what value stories have for a world in crisis.” The play opens on April 3 and runs until May 15.
Gloria, Crow’s Theatre
The “whip-smart satire of fear and loathing in a beleaguered industry under siege,” Gloria, by award-winning playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, gets its Canadian premiere to kick off the 2022 season at Crow’s Theatre. It runs from March 1-20.
Room, Mirvish
The first Mirvish Theatre production to reopen will be a play based on Emma Donoghue’s bestselling novel Room, which has been adapted as a new play with songs by Scottish songwriters Kathryn Joseph and Cora Bissett. This new work will run at the Princess of Wales Theatre from April 5 to May 22.
Pipeline, Soulpepper
Playing at Soulpepper is Pipeline, a story that follows a single mother trying to provide her son with a bright future while living in the inner-city. Pipeline was written for the stage by playwright Dominique Morisseau and will run from April 7 to May 8 at Soulpepper.
Among Men, Factory Theatre
Factory Theatre will be back to live performances in April with the show Among Men written by playwright David Yee (directed by Nina Lee Aquino). Among Men follows the lives and conversations of two men working together to build an A-frame cabin that will one day become part of Canadian history (along with the men who made it). The play will run from April 23 to May 15.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Mirvish
On May 31, the long-awaited Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will open at the Ed Mirvish Theatre. Based on the Harry Potter novels by author J.K. Rowling, this show revisits Harry and his friends for an epic stage-adapted adventure. The show has been reimagined and returns to North America for a spring stint that promises to be compelling if you’re a Harry Potter fan. The show will run throughout the summer, but seating will be limited.