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At the end of a record-breaking 2015/16 season, The Cultch has launched its 2016/17 lineup. Highlights of the 20-show season include five world premieres by local companies and six Canadian premieres of international hits.

Two world premiere musicals will take to the York stage in 2017 with Zee Zee Theatre’s Elbow Room: The Musical, a candid look inside Vancouver’s most iconic eatery, and Urban Ink’s Children of God, the powerful story of two Oji-Cree children taken from their family and sent to a residential school in Northern Ontario.

Two dance pieces from celebrated local artists will also premiere: am a from Mindy Parfitt and Amber Funk Barton, and How To Be, the newest work from Tara Cheyenne Performance.

The local premieres are rounded out by the return of Theatre Replacement’s wildly successful East Van Panto. Writing/directing duo Mark Chavez and Anita Rochon will bring us their wacky, wonderful take on Little Red Riding Hood, with Veda Hille returning for a fourth year as musical director!

The six Canadian premieres include Piya Behrupiya, a Hindi version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night; Fight Night from Belgium, a wickedly fun take on elections and voting systems; the American Helen & Edgar from the team behind The Moth; family-friendly The Pianist and romantic thriller The Elephant Wrestler, both from New Zealand; and the shocking La Merda from Italy.

The season is rounded out with the return of local successes Motherload, VACT’s Empire of the Son, and Cultchivating the Fringe winner The Fighting Season, along with national works from Toronto and Montreal (All Hell is Breaking Loose, Honey; Mouthpiece; NeoIndigenA; The Daisy Theatre; Vertical Influences; Mump & Smoot).

[Vertical Influences]

With 20 explosively entertaining productions, the season will keep The Cultch’s venues – the Historic Theatre, the Vancity Culture Lab, and the York Theatre – buzzing with live performance.

Here’s a couple we’ve got our eyes on:

All Hell is Breaking Loose, Honey, November 8 to 12
Performed by four male dancers, choreographer Frédérick Gravel attempts to deconstruct the stereotypes of the typical North American male, from T-shirts, beer, and baseball to violence, confusion, and mood swings. The Ottawa Citizen calls it “An explosive exploration of masculinity that is half dance, one quarter performance art, and one quarter rock show”.

Elbow Room Café: The Musical, March 1 to 12, 2017
A candid look inside Vancouver’s most iconic eatery: home of raucous service, celebrity sightings and hearts of gold. Dave Deveau (My Funny Valentine) and Anton Lipovetsky (Broken Sex Doll) sink their teeth into the whimsy and heart of real-life café owners Patrice and Bryan and explore how we age together in a Technicolor world. East Van Panto’s Allan Zinyk leads a cast of campy misfits, drag queens and the perpetually hung over!

Subscriptions for the 16/17 season are now on sale (single tickets go on sale August 2). Phone The Cultch’s box office at 604.251.1363 or visit the website for more info. Top photo: Children of God.