FIVE female directors!
FOUR female playwrights!
THREE Canadian premières including TWO North American premières!
Do you miss local theater? We sure do! Join the United Players of Vancouver for their 2020-21 season.
Their five plays will focus on knowledge, on how science and education shape how we perceive the world, and how our lives are transformed by a deeper knowledge of others and of ourselves. At the heart of each play is a woman seeking to transform her understanding of beauty and purpose while challenging the expectations placed on her.
September 11 October 4, 2020
A Hundred Words for Snow by Tatty Hennessey
Canadian Première (the company’s 250th production!) directed by Tamara McCarthy
When Rory’s father dies, she decides to undertake the journey to the North Pole that he always dreamed of taking himself. Drawing on the explorers of the past, Rory goes on the journey of a lifetime. This one-woman play explores global warming, growing up and what it means to venture into the snow.
November 13 to December 6, 2020
The Red Priest (Eight Ways to Say Goodbye) by Mieko Ouchi, directed by Keltie Forsythe
In 1740, Antonio Vivaldi is commissioned to teach a woman to play violin before the King of France … in six weeks’ time. Is such a performance possible? And why would either agree to this? In this lush and resonant play by Canadian Mieko Ouchi, the challenges of teaching and the beauty of music are laid bare.
January 22 to 14 February, 2021
She Sells Sea Shells by Helen Eastman
(North American premiere) directed by Sarah Rodgers
When she was twelve, Mary Anning discovered the first ichthyosaur, and she became an important, if forgotten, paleontologist. Known primarily from the children’s tongue-twister that she inspired, Anning’s life challenges us to see the beauty buried in the stones beneath our feet.
March 26 to April 18, 2021
Silent Sky by Lauren Gunderson, directed by Laura McLean
Henrietta Leavitt worked for the Harvard Observatory as a human computer in the early 1900’s, in the course of which she discovered how to measure the distance between stars. Silent Sky explores the sacrifice and passion she brought to our understanding of the universe.
June 4 to June 27, 2021
The Here and This and Now by Glenn Waldron
(North American premiere) directed by Lauren Taylor
Four pharmaceutical reps work on their pitch for the miracle drug they are asked to sell. This play lays bare the ethics of marketing medications, where style and substance must compete with each other. Things take a darkly comic turn when it turns out the drug could have saved the world.
You may be wondering how United Players of Vancouver plans to operate in light of the pandemic. I’ve reached out to their marketing team and these are the protocols they’ve outlined for our local theater lovers.
Everyone has a part to play in keeping our community healthy. In order to safely enjoy great theatre, they’re asking the following from all patrons:
– If you’re experiencing any symptoms of illness, however mild, or if you’re required to self-isolate – stay home! With a ticket, you can watch the show online instead.
– You’ll be requested to wear a mask or face covering until you reach your seat.
– Please clean your hands at the sanitizing station at the theatre entrance upon arrival.
– Please maintain physical distancing and follow the one-way traffic flow (with patrons’ exit by the stage door).
– After checking in at the box office, go straight to your seat; do not wait in the lobby.
– Season tickets can be picked up at the concession counter.
– If buying your ticket at the box office, they’ll record your name and phone number.
– A limit to the number of people in the washrooms at one time.
Seat numbers are greatly reduced, so you’ll need to book early if you want to attend a performance in person. Season ticket holders will be allowed to reserve their seats first.
Season Tickets
Adults, $135; seniors/students, $120; valid for any performance. Tickets may be obtained online or by sending a cheque to United Players, Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery, Vancouver, V6R4K5. Reservations (ticket holders only) can be made online or via phoning 604.224.8007, extension 2.
Individual tickets for A Hundred Words for Snow are now available: Adults, $30; seniors/students, $26.