Edmonton Freewill Shakespeare Festival
The Freewill Shakespeare Festival is one of the city's most popular events – there's nothing quite like watching a classic play in an open air theatre, surrounded by nature. This year's productions are Love's Labour's Lost and Romeo and Juliet. If you can't make it to the festival, at Hawrelak Park June 21 to July 17, 2016, these Edmonton theatre venues also have a jam-packed schedule of shows throughout the year.
William Hawrelak Park
9330, Groat Rd NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2A8The city's beloved Freewill Shakespeare Festival returned to the amphitheatre in William Hawrelak Park in 2015, after spending 2014 indoors due to a major wind storm wreaking havoc on the amphitheatre. Now that the festival has returned to the great outdoors, patrons of the arts can once again enjoy watching Shakespeare's works performed in an open air theatre. Every year, the Freewill team produces two of Shakespeare's plays — a comedy and a tragedy. There's covered seating inside the amphitheatre or you can choose to lounge on the lawn. Bring a picnic to enjoy prior to the show.
Theatre - Arden Theatre
St. Albert, ABLocated in St. Albert, the Arden Theatre is home to a variety of performances, including musical, theatrical and comedic. The theatre features a state-of-the-art sound system, comfy seats and excellent aisle lighting. At only 509 seats, plus two wheelchair spots, the theatre is very intimate, which only adds to its appeal — you can actually see the actors faces, no matter which seat you're in.
L'UniTheatre
126-8627 91 St NW, Edmonton, AB T6C 3N1This French theatre, located at La Cite Francophone, hosts French plays almost exclusively, but the majority of the productions have English titles for those who don't speak French. The exception is their annual community play, which is only in French. The 2015 community play, Refuge, is a exploration of the stories of Franco-Africans as they settle in Alberta. The theatre also often partners with local company Northern Light Theatre on productions.
Citadel Theatre
9828 101A Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 3C6This gorgeous building houses several theatres. It’s also located smack dab in the middle of downtown and is home to dozens of productions a year. The highlight is always A Christmas Carol, put on every December in the Maclab Theatre. The Citadel is also where the Citadel/Banff Centre Professional Theatre Program puts on their production every spring after five week of preparing a production in isolation in Banff. Productions range from the popular – Romeo and Juliet, Mary Poppins – to the original – Make Mine Love.
Jubilee Auditorium Northern Alberta
11455 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 2T2This is the absolute best place to catch a musical. Wherever you sit, you’ll have a clear view of the stage and will be able to hear everything, thanks to the fantastic acoustics (even if the performers look like little ants from your last row seat). The Jubilee has been home to countless Broadway Across Canada productions, including Wicked, Chicago and The Lion King, plus original ballet performances, like Balletlujah (a ballet based on the life of Alberta-born singer k.d. lang).
Walterdale Playhouse
10322 83 Avenue NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 5C3Is it a fire hall? No, it’s a theatre but the building is the only pre-World War One fire hall in Edmonton that still has its historical exterior. The Walterdale Playhouse has been deemed both a provincial and municipal historic resource. The 145-seat theatre is steeped in history and tradition, but it’s also a place where laughter and magic happen. The Walterdale Theatre Associates, one of the longest-running community theatre groups in Western Canada, usually put on six shows a year.
ATB Financial Arts Barns
10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 2G9There are four different theatres within the ATB Financial Arts Barns, located just off of Whyte Avenue. The best one is the Westbury Theatre – it’s also the largest and arguably the most popular. It houses Western Canada Fashion Week twice a year, in addition to a multitude of performances. What makes it fabulous is that it’s so small – its maximum capacity is 370, so it’s never overcrowded. Because every seat in the house is basically the same, you won’t get stuck with bad seats.
My Twitter
My Instagram
