Vancouver brings local, national and international dance, theatre and musical talent to many centrally located performance halls. Below is a list of some of the best places to experience professional arts productions in Vancouver.
Top 10 Performance Spaces in Vancouver:
› The Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre at SFU Goldcorp Centre for the Arts: This performance venue is part of the revitalization of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, and provides the public with a 200 to 440 seat (depending on the configuration) theatre for multimedia, dance and theatre productions. The theatre space can be arranged in many different ways to accommodate a variety of theatrical performances.
› Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC: This cylindrically shaped building is located at the University of British Columbia Campus and houses three spaces including a theatre, cinema and concert hall for theatrical, musical and film performances.
› Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts: Centrally located in downtown Vancouver, this performance venue features mainly Broadway musicals and other world renowned performances such as Riverdance.
› The Vancouver Playhouse: Since 1962, the Playhouse Theatre company has been producing live theatre productions at the Vancouver Playhouse. The plays they choose to showcase are contemporary, classic, Canadian and international in nature. Other local performing arts companies that use this facility regularly include Friends of Chamber Music,
Vancouver Recital Society and
DanceHouse.
› The Orpheum: This Spanish Baroque style theatre houses the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Its restored concert hall hosts a variety of classical, choral, and chamber recitals and popular music concerts.
› Queen Elizabeth Theatre: Resident performing arts companies of the Queen Elizabeth are the Vancouver Opera and
Ballet British Columbia. This theatre houses close to 3,000 people and hosts a variety of musical events annually. In 2009, this large theatre space was renovated for better acoustics. The results are exceptional; comparable to The Opera House in Toronto, the acoustics are crystal clear.
› Performance Works: Located on
Granville Island, this space was originally home to a 1920's machine shop. It was renovated in 1992 to serve the performing arts community as a flexible space for a variety of productions and events.
› Waterfront Theatre: Host to the
Theatre Sports League and many other theatrical company productions, this is an intimate performance venue that seats 224 people.
› The Cultch (Vancouver East Cultural Centre): This non-profit organization showcases music, dance and theatre in a warm and intimate performance space. It was built in 1909 as a Methodist church and went through major renovations to become one of the first LEED certified arts centres in Vancouver. The Cultch provides theatre spaces to a variety of local arts companies, including the Vancouver New Music Society, the Coastal Jazz and Blues Society and the Touchtone Theatre.
› Scotiabank Dance Centre: Managed by the Dance Centre, this arts facility hosts a variety of dance performances and events from local, national and international dance artists and companies.