Dance & Theatre
From our recently renovated Jubilee Auditoriums (in Calgary and Edmonton) to urban parks, barns, badlands, prairie towns and rodeo grounds—on stages indoor and out, grand and humble—dance and theatre share the limelight in Alberta’s cultural scene.Calgary
Dance Scene
Perhaps the best known Alberta dance company is the Calgary-based Alberta Ballet, the third largest ballet company in the country. What you may not know is that jazz, modern/contemporary and ethnic dance troupes abound in Calgary.
One of the most long-lived is Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, the only dance troupe in Canada devoted solely to the history and evolution of jazz. It has toured across Canada and around the world. When at home, the troupe uses performance spaces around the city including the Epcor Centre and the Grand Theatre.
Springboard Dance has its offices at the Epcor Centre and uses the Centre’s performance spaces, rather than operating a studio of its own. Dancers’ Studio West, when in need of a venue larger than their own 75-seat Studio Theatre performs on the Grand and Vertigo stages, among others.
If you’re the type that avoids a night at the ballet, why not give the Blue Collar Dance Company a try. Housed in the Community Arts Building at the former Currie Barracks, this troupe is dance “for the people and by the people” and guaranteed to please even the most reluctant dance patron.
Looking for lively old world dance? Try Suzirya Ukrainian Dance Theatre or Tryzub Ukrainian Dance Ensemble. For a taste of our multicultural dance heritage, the Carifest, Afrikadey and Expo Latino outdoor summer festivals will have you dancing in the streets.
Theatre Scene
The Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts is a hub for the creative arts. In the heart of downtown Calgary, it houses four professional theatre companies: Theatre Calgary, Alberta Theatre Projects (ATP), One Yellow Rabbit (OYR) and the multi-disciplinary Bubonic Tourist. Five stages under one roof provide space for full-season productions, from classical to contemporary, in all performance fields—drama, dance, poetry and visual and performing arts. Check the company calendars for season schedules and dates. And mark your calendars for January when our brightest festival, OYR’s High Performance Rodeo jump starts the year, followed by the highly acclaimed Enbridge playRites Festival of New Canadian Plays.
The Jubilee Auditorium is home to touring productions and companies without a permanent stage of their own. Calgary Opera and Alberta Ballet perform here throughout the fall and winter.
Calgary has a thriving amateur community theatre scene. Those with permanent quarters include the Pumphouse Theatre; Theatre Junction in the recently renovated Grand Theatre; Vertigo Playhouse Theatre at its new location in the Calgary Tower and the Loose Moose Theatre in its new space at the Crossroads Market.
Other options include the excellent All Nations, Ghost River, Ground Zero, Lunch Box, Old Trout Puppet Workshop, Sage and Storybook theatres.
For fine outdoor fare in July and August, try Mount Royal College Conservatory’s Shakespeare in the Park on Prince’s Island. Bring your own picnic and make a cash donation—there is no set ticket price, just pay what you can afford. Also in August, Calgary's Fringe Festival offers edgy theatrical treats—don't miss it.
Looking for children’s theatre? All summer long at lunchtime, the University of Calgary’s Theatre for Young Audiences performs for free at Olympic Plaza, across from the Epcor Centre. There is also the Calgary Young People's Theatre and the W.P. Puppet Theatre that delight young audiences.
Edmonton
Dance Scene
The long-lived Brian Web Dance Company performs at a variety of venues including the John L. Haar Theatre at Grant MacEwan College, the Westbury Theatre and the Jubilee. The Edmonton Dance Factory also performs at the Jubilee. Mile Zero is devoted to exploring leading-edge contemporary dance forms and have their own performance space at the Landing Pad.
Performances that reflect our multicultural roots in dance take place during the Pysanka Festival at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, east of Edmonton. And for three days in August, you can visit Hawrelak Park to watch traditional dancing from around the globe at the Edmonton Heritage Festival, one of the world’s oldest and largest outdoor multicultural festivals.
Theatre Scene
Edmonton has a long and storied history as a centre for the performing arts. The Citadel Theatre, a professional company in the downtown Arts District, houses the largest theatre complex in the city with five performance spaces. Among regular season offerings there’s a host of productions for young people including the KidsPlay Series for children and a theatre festival for teens and by teens. Northern Light Theatre is another professional theatre company with a long history in Edmonton.
The 11-day Edmonton Fringe Festival is in a class by itself. Held at a number of venues every August, it is internationally recognized as introducing some of the most innovative theatrical productions in North America and has spawned fringe festivals in many other cities.
Edmonton’s Jubilee Auditorium, like its sister in Calgary, is home for touring productions and local companies such as the Edmonton Opera. Recent renovations have won the praise of guests such as Alberta Ballet and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
In the heart of the city’s Old Strathcona district you will find the Walterdale Playhouse. A former firehall, it houses Canada’s oldest amateur theatre group. Across the street is another former firehall, the New Varscona Theatre. The original home of the Fringe Festival, it now plays host to a number of theatre companies, including Die-Nasty Theatre, Teatro La Quindicina, Rapid Fire Theatre and Shadow Theatre.
Other theatre companies in Edmonton include Catalyst Theatre, Concrete Theatre, Sound and Fury Theatre and Westbury Theatre.
Every year in May, the Arden Theatre in nearby St. Albert hosts the Northern Alberta International Children’s Festival. Throughout the year, the Arden hosts a steady stream of touring artists, dance and theatrical companies.
From the end of June through July, the Free Will Players present the outdoor River City Shakespeare Festival at the Heritage Amphitheatre in Hawrelak Park. The 1,100-seat amphitheatre is the largest live Edmonton theatre venue. Ticket prices are among the lowest in professional theatre, with sizeable discounts for students and seniors. Youth aged 8 to 18 interested in the world of classical theatre will have an excellent adventure at Camp Shakespeare, a summer camp run by professional instructors and members of the acting company.
Around Alberta
Local and touring dance troupes and theatre companies perform around the province.
- Empress Theatre, Fort Macleod
- The Centre for the Arts, Lethbridge
- New West Theatre, Lethbridge
- Sun.Ergos, A Company of Theatre and Dance, Priddis
- Central Alberta Theatre, Red Deer
Special Dance & Theatre Attractions
Step outside our main urban hubs and you’ll find top-notch facilities at The Banff Centre. Don’t miss its summer-long international arts festival, where dance fans will find plenty of ballet, modern and jazz offerings. A must-see is our famous First Nations troupes performing traditional dances here and at numerous special events and festivals across Alberta. You won’t want to miss the exquisitely handcrafted costumes or the intricate, demanding steps of the hoop dances. Don’t forget the camera.
The Canadian Badlands Passions Play was designated Alberta’s top cultural attraction by Attractions Canada and listed in the American Bus Association’s Top 100 Events in North America. “The greatest story ever told” takes place on the western outskirts of Drumheller in a 2500-seat natural amphitheatre in the heart of the Badlands—a unique setting that could as easily be the land of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Performances are limited to a half dozen in the month of July. It is advisable to book well in advance.
Rosebud Theatre is just an hour’s drive northeast of Calgary, in the picturesque community of Rosebud, Alberta. Established in 1983, it has gained an international reputation as a premiere Canadian destination for high quality live theatre, performed at the Rosebud Opera House. Rosebud Theatre is Western Canada’s largest rural theatre. It received Travel Alberta’s prestigious “Alberta Pride” ALTO award in 2006. Each season between March and December, more than 35,000 patrons enjoy the “Rosebud Experience” of professional theatre, complemented by unique dining, art galleries, museums and shopping.
Near the southwestern town of Hill Spring, Great Canadian Barn Dance offers one of the most unusual salutes to dance: a summer weekend package that includes old fashioned barn dance lessons and a dance in a real barn where you can try your new skills, backed by the resident country band. Cabins and camping facilities ensure you can dance the night away. They also host an annual Bluegrass music festival.
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