Gateway Theatre’s 2016/2017 Season: More Than Entertainment
Gateway Theatre’s 2016/2017 season programming represents a bold leap forward, and offers audiences the opportunity to interact with challenging and insightful new material from some of the most exciting and inventive theatre companies and artists in the country. With four premieres on the roster, including two World premieres, one Canadian and one BC premiere, these topical and timely dramas address issues that are vital to the contemporary cultural and political landscape in the Lower Mainland.
New works such as ITSAZOO and Savage Society’s The Pipeline Project, which explores the tensions between the oil economy and climate change, as well as First Nations’ land claims and the power of corporate interests, will go a long way towards reshaping what local audiences expect from a night of theatre. Whether it’s You Will Remember Me, a wistful drama from Ruby Slippers Theatre that explores the heartbreak of dementia; the striking metaphysical drama of Pi Theatre’s Long Division; or the harrowing prescience of Annabel Soutar’s The Watershed, it’s clear that Gateway is dedicating this season to challenging and indispensable programming. And from King of the Yees, Lauren Yee’s playful cross-generational romp through San Francisco’s Chinatown, to a holiday production of Meredith Willson’s rousing classic The Music Man, the breadth of Gateway 2016/2017 season is ideal for theatre lovers in search of more than entertainment.
“I am thrilled to announce the 2016/2017 Season. Next year, we will welcome some of the most vibrant theatre artists in Vancouver and from across the country to Gateway. The plays we are presenting are not only riveting entertainment, they also examine timely issues from a multitude of viewpoints. Each of these productions showcases diverse voices with something relevant to say about the interconnected world in which we live. I can’t wait for the fall to come,” says Jovanni Sy, Gateway Artistic Director.
King of the Yees
CANADIAN PREMIERE
By Lauren Yee
Produced by special arrangement with Goodman Theatre in Chicago, IL
Directed by Sherry J. Yoon
October 13–22, 2016│MainStage
A madcap adventure about the search for family and cultural identity.
Her father’s sudden disappearance catapults the intrepid Lauren Yee on a fantastic journey through the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown, where she confronts a world both foreign and familiar. At once bitingly hilarious and heartbreakingly honest, King of the Yees takes an epic joyride across a cultural and generational divide as it explores the relationship between fathers and daughters.
“Yee is a talented young writer… [her] voice is absolutely worth a listen.”—Martin Denton, nytheatre.com
Long Division
WORLD PREMIERE
By Peter Dickinson
A Pi Theatre Production in association with Gateway Theatre
Directed by Richard Wolfe
November 17–26, 2016│Studio B
A strikingly imagined collision between seven individuals.
Pi Theatre, one of Vancouver’s boldest theatre companies, premieres Long Division, a thoughtful and resonant multimedia experience about the mathematics of human connection. Seven characters struggle to explain their tragic entanglements using the language of geometry and logic, but find that one emotional variable consistently remains unsolved.
Meredith Willson’s The Music Man
WINNER OF 5 TONY AWARDS, INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL
Book, Music and Lyrics by Meredith Willson
Story by Meredith Willson and Frank Lacey
Directed by Barbara Tomasic
December 8–31, 2016│MainStage
Rediscover this rousing classic about a charming con man and his seventy-six trombones.
This beguiling and nostalgic family musical begins when fast-talking con man Harold Hill arrives in small town Iowa, singing empty promises about starting a glorious marching band to organize the local youth. Although all the townsfolk seem eager to follow his lead, the prim local librarian, Marian, threatens to reveal him as a fraud. As the two butt heads, sparks fly, inspiring Harold to change his tune. Romantic and completely clever, The Music Man is a heart-warming story about personal redemption and the power of a big brass band.
“The Music Man is a marvelous show, rooted in wholesome and comic tradition.”—THE NEW YORK TIMES
You Will Remember Me
By François Archambault
Translated by Bobby Theodore
A Ruby Slippers Theatre Production
Directed by Diane Brown
February 2–17, 2017│MainStage
A wistful and wise drama about the unexpected and unforgettable.
You Will Remember Me offers a compassionate glimpse into the suffering of an ageing intellectual beset by dementia, whose family splinters in their efforts to support him. As he is shuffled between frustrated caregivers, the resilient patriarch begins to reflect on how each of them will remember him after he passes away. Interspersed with bittersweet humour, this is a deeply personal and moving new play by François Archambault, one of Quebec’s most compelling writers.
“There’s a kind of genius in You Will Remember Me. Director Diane Brown and her team do an excellent job with this script.” —Colin Thomas, THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT
The Pipeline Project
WORLD PREMIERE
By Sebastien Archibald, Kevin Loring and Quelemia Sparrow
An ITSAZOO and Savage Society Production in association with Gateway Theatre and Neworld Theatre
Directed by Chelsea Haberlin
March 9–18, 2017│Studio B
A provocative and comedic foray into a firestorm of debate.
Immersive theatre company ITSAZOO and Savage Society bring a vibrant and personal account of the ongoing political battles over the Trans Mountain and Northern Gateway pipelines to life. Peak oil, First Nations land claims, and climate change are all explored with humour and empathy in this timely meta-theatrical event.
The Watershed
WESTERN CANADA PREMIERE
By Annabel Soutar
Co-produced by Productions Porte Parole and Crow’s Theatre
Directed by Chris Abraham
April 6–15, 2017│MainStage
A rollicking road trip in pursuit of a nation’s disappearing lifeblood.
Celebrated documentary theatre artist Annabel Soutar takes her family on a cross-Canada journey to probe the forces that are shaping the future of our dwindling natural resources. By innovatively dramatizing an eclectic and insightful set of interviews with scientists, government officials, activists and business leaders, The Watershed deftly documents a nation struggling to find the balance between environment and industry.
“Whatever end of the political spectrum you’re on, The Watershed is must-see theatre.”—NOW MAGAZINE
