Company History

The Arts Club Theatre Company, now in its 46th season, is a not-for-profit charitable organization offering the best in professional live theatre at each of our three venues. Our popular productions range from musicals and contemporary comedies to new works and classics. We also tour provincially on a regular basis, with a three-show mini-season presented at venues around British Columbia. The 2010-2011 Arts Club season features six productions at the historic 650-seat Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage at Granville and W. 12th, five productions on scenic Granville Island at the vibrant 450-seat Granville Island Stage, and three productions in our intimate, 198-seat Revue Stage, across the alley from the Granville Island Stage.
The
Arts Club of Vancouver was founded in 1958 as a private club for artists,
musicians, and actors, and officially became the Arts Club Theatre in 1964
when the company opened its first stage, a converted gospel hall at
Seymour Street and Davie. The company's twenty-seven years at Seymour
Street are an important part of Vancouver and Canadian theatre history.
The tiny 250-seat stage helped launch the careers of Canadian talents such
as Michael J. Fox, Bruce Greenwood, Ruth Nichol, Janet Wright, Winston
Rekert, Lally Cadeau, and Brent Carver, while introducing Vancouver to
works by Canadian playwrights such as Michel Tremblay, David Freedman, and
Carol Bolt. Productions by newcomers Sherman Snukal (Talking Dirty),
Nicola Cavendish (It's Snowing on Saltspring), Morris Panych (7
Stories), and John Lazarus (The Late Blumer) also premiered
there. The original Arts Club Seymour Street Stage was closed for
demolition in 1991.
The
company added the current Granville Island Stage in 1979, and the smaller
Revue Stage next door in 1983. Since it opened, the Granville Island Stage
has featured a popular mix of musicals, classics, dramas, contemporary
comedies and premieres. Innovative versions of classics such as Comedy of
Errors; colourful Canadian hits such as Billy Bishop Goes to War;
dramas like Frankie & Johnny in the Clair de Lune and comedies
including Lend Me a Tenor, have brought the Granville Island Stage
numerous awards and an excellent community following. The Revue Stage was
home to some of Vancouver's all-time favourite musicals, revues, and
comedies, including Ain't Misbehavin', before it was leased to the
Vancouver Theatre Sports League in 1997. After an extensive renovation,
the Revue Stage re-opened as an Arts Club venue in 2010 with the world
premiere of Anosh Irani’s My Granny the Goldfish, and will be home
to three more productions this season
The
Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage opened to the public with Dean Regan's
record-setting production of Swing in October 1998, and it is now
considered the company's flagship venue. An intimate version of a Broadway
or London classic theatre, this elegant venue has permitted the company to
move into the exciting arena of producing larger musicals, 20th-century
classics, and acclaimed productions from around the world.
No history of the Arts Club would be complete without a mention of Bill
Millerd. A graduate of the University of British Columbia and the National
Theatre School, Bill first joined the Arts Club in 1969 as a stage manager
and has remained in the role of artistic managing director since 1972. He
was awarded the Order of Canada in 1994 for his contribution to Canadian
theatre. Having attained the honour of being Canada's longest-serving
Artistic Managing Director, Bill continues to lead the Arts Club along a
path of artistic and financial growth, while the company's international
reputation continues to expand.
