Richmond’s Gateway Theatre will be offering its first in-person theatre activities this fall.
The theatre shut down its live performances last February when the pandemic hit and hasn’t opened since then.
Gateway Theatre adapted to the pandemic by hosting a series of outdoor concerts over the summer. However, the executive director at Gateway Theatre Camilla Tibbs said they are ready to have visitors back.
“This adaptive way of working instilled in us the ability to question the status quo, to be open to new ways of doing things, to consider, test, and learn from new ideas, and to explore our way forward. This all stood us in good stead during the pandemic and in the process of rethinking and reimagining our artistic offerings," said Tibbs.
"We can’t wait to see (the community) inside our theatre again in the upcoming season. We are hopeful for the season ahead of us but also proceeding with cautious optimism."
Gateway Theatre has announced its line-up of artistic offerings for the 2021-2022 season.
The theatre is kicking off the celebration with its annual Hallows’ Eve pop-up theatre where families can enjoy a free life-sized puppet theatre show at Gulf of Georgia Cannery, on Oct. 23 and 24, and at Aberdeen Centre, on Oct. 30 and 31.
Gateway will have its “A Broadway Holiday” concert featuring favourite festive tunes, such as “Meet Me in St. Louis” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” from December 16 to 23 as its first welcome-back show.
Next year, a lantern festival will be held in one of the theatre’s studios for Lunar New Year in February, as well as a memoir-play titled “Certified” which will be performed by comedian JD Derbyshire in March.
The theatre is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Gateway Academy, which "shapes future community leaders and encourages students to find their own unique voices and value their individual qualities."
New(to)Town Collective has also been named as the theatre’s 2021-2022 Company in Residence, where Gateway will support their exploration of pedagogy, physical theatre and accessibility in theatre training.
“We can’t wait to see them inside our theatre again in the upcoming season. We are hopeful for the season ahead of us but also proceeding with cautious optimism,” said executive director Tibbs.
