Saint John Theatre Company’s 29th season includes three main stage shows, community partnerships, and an impressive studio series.
Cheryl MacIntire
The Saint John Theatre Company has officially announced its new season of theatre. The 2018-2019 season marks the company’s 29th year producing theatre in the city with productions planned for both the Imperial Theatre and its own BMO Theatre at 112 Princess Street in Saint John.
“Overall – when it comes to programming – I start from the position that theatre is for everyone,” said SJTC Artistic Director Stephen Tobias. “It isn’t the domain of any particular group or demographic. I want a theatre that welcomes all. Again, our programming reflects that. The 2018-2019 season will include highly popular works, original scripts, and more challenging thought-provoking plays. Whether one attends the theatre to be entertained and be taken out of your day to day routine, or whether one attends the theatre to be challenged, provoked or questioned, I want to have a season that offers that to our audience.”
The SJTC’s season will include the Loyalist City Shakespeare production of The Tempest (July 18-21) and the edgy and out-of-the-ordinary Fundy Fringe Festival (Aug. 20-25). The company’s Main Stage Series at Imperial Theatre begins in November with Elf – The Musical (Nov. 21-25) and continues with The Crucible (March 20-23) and Little Shop of Horrors (May 15-19).
The SJTC Studio Series will present a diverse line-up of smaller productions designed specifically with an intimate atmosphere in mind. The Studio Series will open with the laugh out loud comedy Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Aug. 1-4), followed by the award winning satire Glengarry Glen Ross (Oct 3-6 and 10-13).
Sackville’s Live Bait Theatre will bring their production of Billy Bishop Goes to War to the BMO Theatre as part of this year’s series October 26-27, and London’s Royal Court Theatre will bring their production of Manwatching to the city February 20-23.
SJTC will present the Darrell Dennis play, Tales of an Urban Indian, the story of a young First Nations man’s journey from the reservation to the city. As with past productions that have taken place across the country, this one-actor performance will be staged on a city bus. The play will run (or drive) April 2-7.
The season will wrap up with the new script development series, Script Happens, June 19-22.
The company is expected to announce the lineup for its popular Live @ The BMO Music Series later this year.
Three-show subscription packages to the company’s Main Stage series go on sale at Imperial Theatre box office on May 23, single tickets for Main Stage shows go on sale September 5.
Tickets for the SJTC Studio Series will go on sale on June 1st and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketpro.ca or calling 1-888-311-9090.
Learn more at www.saintjohntheatrecompany.com
