Canadian Entertainment News
News and features from across Canadian entertainment, arts and culture
Pacific Opera Victoria opens new season with Verdi’s Il trovatore on October 16
Pacific Opera Victoria will open its 2026–27 mainstage season on October 16 with Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore at Victoria’s Royal Theatre, in a co-production with Vancouver Opera.
Royal Winnipeg Ballet opens season with Stravinsky Stories and a new Firebird
Royal Winnipeg Ballet opens its 2026–27 mainstage season at Winnipeg’s Centennial Concert Hall on Oct. 8 with Stravinsky Stories, a double bill that brings Alexei Ratmansky’s The Fairy’s Kiss to the company alongside the world premiere of a new Firebird by choreographer Houston Thomas.
W&M Physical Theatre brings La Luna to Calgary with local children in the cast
W&M Physical Theatre will bring La Luna to DJD Dance Centre in Calgary on Oct 9, 2026 and Oct 10, 2026, returning to a work choreographer and director Melissa Monteros first created in 1988 and expanding it into a full-length dance-theatre production with Calgary children performing alongside adult artists. Performances are 7 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday.
Kaha Dance Theatre’s Blood Water Earth opens Public Energy season in Peterborough
Kaha Dance Theatre will open Public Energy Performing Arts’ 2026–27 season in Peterborough on Oct. 14, 2026, with Blood Water Earth, a multimedia dance work led and performed by Santee Tekaronhiáhkhwa Smith.
Atom Egoyan’s Così fan tutte revival continues at Canadian Opera Company
Canadian filmmaker and stage director Atom Egoyan’s revival of Così fan tutte is underway at the Canadian Opera Company, with six performances remaining at Toronto’s Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.
Compagnie Marie Chouinard brings MAGNIFICAT to Fredericton and Québec City
Montreal-based Compagnie Marie Chouinard has two Canadian MAGNIFICAT dates remaining this month, with a Fredericton Playhouse performance on Oct 5, 2026, followed by a Québec City date at Grand Théâtre de Québec on Oct 14, 2026.
OH, ANNE! puts four women in charge of Avonlea
Four women populate Avonlea in OH, ANNE!, Bridget Ryan's musical adaptation of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables.
First Métis Man of Odesa returns to the stage in Calgary
Matthew MacKenzie and Mariya Khomutova met at a theatre workshop in Kyiv while MacKenzie was working as dramaturge on Lianna Makuch’s Canadian play Barvinok.
OSAC tests youth board role as Saskatchewan arts councils plan for succession
When the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils holds its annual general meeting in Saskatoon on Oct. 17, its board-election agenda will include a new one-year youth representative position.
Tai Amy Grauman brings Callihoo family history into Western Canadian classrooms
In Tai Amy Grauman’s Where Have All the Buffalo Gone?, two Métis souls and Buffalo encounter one another across seven periods of history.
At 75, the National Ballet of Canada puts its own history back onstage
When John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet opens the National Ballet of Canada’s 75th-anniversary season on Oct. 31, the company will be returning to a ballet that has followed it through much of its history.
Kamloops-raised Chelsea Isenor named executive director of Western Canada Theatre
Chelsea Isenor first encountered professional theatre in Kamloops as an audience member at Western Canada Theatre. On Nov. 2, she will return to the company as its executive director.
Vancouver ballet leader Chan Hon Goh appointed Royal Academy of Dance vice-president
In 1988, Chan Hon Goh won a silver medal at the Royal Academy of Dance’s Genée International Ballet Competition.
What does ‘choosing Canadian’ mean for the arts? Canada Council points to access, affordability and global reach
On Sept. 17, Canada Council for the Arts Director and CEO Michelle Chawla published an open letter arguing that Canadian arts should be part of the country’s broader conversation about choosing Canadian.
Brian Webb steps back as Molly McDermott takes over Edmonton dance company
Brian Webb is stepping back as artistic director of the Edmonton dance company he founded in 1979, with Molly McDermott taking over the role as the Brian Webb Dance Company enters its 48th season.
Banff string quartet festival brings dance, accordion and orchestral sound into chamber music
The Banff International String Quartet Festival is expanding the traditional four-player chamber ensemble this September, pairing string music with dance, accordion, larger ensembles and orchestral arrangements.
Daily Show correspondent Troy Iwata to join Heated Rivalry musical parody
The Canadian-made Heated Rivalry phenomenon is getting another new Shane Hollander — this time on the Off-Broadway stage.
Kurt Werner to take final bow as Ballet Kelowna unveils new season
Ballet Kelowna dancer Kurt Werner will take his final bow next spring after 15 years with the company, closing a 2026–27 season that will also bring A Streetcar Named Desire back to the Kelowna Community Theatre.