The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company ("The Playhouse") was a regional theatre company, producing plays since 1962. Its first production was The Hostage by Brendan Behan , which opened on October 2, 1963. The company performed out of the Vancouver Playhouse , a civic theatre in Vancouver’s downtown core (at Hamilton and Dunsmuir), which is also home to the Vancouver Recital Society and the Friends of Chamber Music. Citing financial difficulties, the company announced that it would cease operations on March 10, 2012
7-561: At the time of its closure, The Playhouse was presenting a five-play "Mainstage" season that ran October through May, smaller-scale productions and play readings at alternate venues, and special productions for young audiences. Productions generally ran for three to four weeks, with some matinees for students, seniors, and the disadvantaged. Some productions were preceded by guest speakers, known as "Salon Saturdays", with others followed by moderated "talkbacks" . The Playhouse also had an education and outreach program. The company often partnered with
14-547: A student devised show, called Risky Nights. Professional directors and designers are hired to work on each production, and occasionally guest performing artists. Studio 58 productions are open to the public and reviewed by the Vancouver media. The school was founded in 1965 as a small theatre arts course first held on the King Edward Campus of Vancouver City College, now Vancouver Community College . Led under
21-524: Is regarded as one of the top theatre schools in Canada and the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada . The school auditions hundreds of people across Canada but only sixteen students are accepted per semester (there are intakes in both fall and spring). Studio 58 operates a small theatre and presents 4 full-length productions annually as well as a smaller presentation of
28-660: The Studio 58 theatre and production program to apprentice students and graduates. A major fundraiser for the company was the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, which was first produced as a single-winery event in 1979. In 2011, following in-camera deliberations by the Vancouver City Council , Vancouver provided the company with a complex bailout of approximately $ 1 million. The information regarding
35-499: The bailout was the result of a leak from Vancouver city hall, following which the city posted the relevant documents on-line. In response to negative reaction, artistic director Max Reimer defended the city's action on the Playhouse's website. The company had many prominent Canadian directors serve as Artistic Directors over the years including Christopher Newton , Joy Coghill and Walter Learning . The Artistic Managing Director at
42-536: The direction of Antony Holland , the course grew into a full program. In 1970, the program moved to new facilities on the Langara Campus and became known as Studio 58, named after the room number of the original theatre space. In 1985, Holland stepped down as the Artistic Director and Kathryn Shaw stepped into the role. Shaw held the role until her retirement in 2020. The school is now under
49-515: The time of the company's closure was Max Reimer, who joined the Playhouse in July 2008. The following individuals served as Artistic Director: Studio 58 Studio 58 is the professional theatre training school at Langara College in Vancouver , British Columbia . The school offers a three-year diploma program for acting students and a three-year diploma program for production students. It
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