Walterdale Theatre produces six events between October and July. This will include five mainstage productions and From Cradle to Stage, a new works festival for local playwrights every spring.
October 14 – 24, 2026
The Tamer Tamed
by John Fletcher
Adapted by Anne Marie Szucs and Joyanne Rudiak
Directed by Joyanne Rudiak
Auditions: July 12 & 13, 6:00pm – 10:00pm with callbacks TBD.
The Jacobean sequel to William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, The Tamer Tamed begins with Maria’s marriage to Petruchio, after the death of his first wife, Kate. Cheered on by her cousin, Byancha, and others, Maria is determined to “tame the tamer,” despite his overwhelming reputation. What ensues is a hilarious and absurd battle of the sexes that strives to bring partners in marriage to a more equal state, a tale far ahead of its time.
December 2 – 12, 2026
Miss Bennet: Christmas At Pemberley
by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon
Directed by Mary Jane Kreisel
Auditions: August 30, 1:00pm – 6:00pm and August 31, 6:00pm – 10:00pm. Callbacks TBD.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley picks up the Pride and Prejudice story a few years later when the Darcys invite family to their estate to enjoy the holidays. The play centres on the bookish and literal-minded Miss Mary Bennet who meets Lord Arthur de Bourgh, a well-educated – but quite socially awkward – Oxford man. The pair navigate a thorny courtship with humourous twists and turns as they encounter not one but two other rivals for Arthur’s affections.
Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists
Play Service. www.concordtheatricals.com
February 10 – 20, 2027
Peter and the Starcatcher
A play by Rick Elice based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Music by Wayne Barker originally produced on Broadway by Nancy Nagel Gibbs, Greg Schaffert, Eva Price, Tom Smedes, and Disney Theatrical Productions.
Directed by Kristen M. Finlay
Auditions: October 18 & 19, 6:00pm – 10:00pm with callbacks TBD.
Peter and the Starcatcher is a fantastical, Olivier and Tony-winning prequel to Peter Pan. It follows an unnamed, mistreated orphan boy and a precocious girl named Molly who team up to protect a trunk of magical “starstuff” from falling into the hands of the ruthless pirate, Black Stache. With singing mermaids, blundering pirates, shipwrecks onstage, flying cats, and a handful of lost boys, Peter and the Starcatcher is a hilarious, magical adventure!
Peter and the Starcatcher is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
April 21 – May 1, 2027
The Extractionist
by Michaela Jeffery
Directed by Ashley Patenaude
Auditions: December 7 & 7, 6:00pm – 10:00pm with callbacks TBD.
The Extractionist is a gripping contemporary thriller that follows Asha Ray, a skilled deprogrammer who specializes in rescuing people from dangerous cults. When a young woman disappears and suspicion falls on a rising member of a secretive organization, Asha teams up with retired detective, Reuben Medina, to uncover the truth. As they descend into a world of manipulation, power, and buried secrets, Asha must confront her own past in a race to stop history from repeating itself. Fast-paced and full of twists, The Extractionist is a tense mystery about justice, loyalty, and the cost of exposing the truth.
The Extractionist by Michael Jeffery produced by special arrangement with the Playwrights Guild of Canada.
May 25 – 30, 2027
From Cradle to Stage
Festival Coordinator: Shawn Marshall
Submissions: TBA
Walterdale Theatre welcomes original play submissions from emerging local playwrights and offers playwrights the opportunity to share their work and gain audience feedback through staged readings.
Eligible playwrights must reside in Edmonton or within 50 km of Walterdale Theatre. Playwrights need not be current members of Walterdale Theatre to submit. There are no age restrictions on playwrights.
In addition to new plays, there is a visual arts component, Walterdale Creates, that features the artworks of visual artists with a Walterdale association on the lobby walls of the theatre during the of the Festival.
July 7 – 17, 2027
Ride the Cyclone
Book, music, and lyrics by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell
Directed by David Son
Auditions: April 25 & 26, 6:00pm – 10:00pm with callbacks TBD.
In Ride the Cyclone, a group of six teens, who die in a roller coaster accident, are brought back to life by a mechanical fortune teller to compete for the chance to live again. They each present a song detailing their life and why they deserve a second chance at existence, a chance to rewrite their story.
Ride the Cyclone is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals. www.concordtheatricals.com
Walterdale Theatre acknowledges that our theatre is located on Treaty 6, a traditional territory of the Cree and has been an important trading place of the Saulteaux, Blackfoot, Nakota Sioux, Dene, and Métis peoples of western Canada for many thousands of years. We also recognize and honour that we are Treaty people and therefore seek to uphold the spirit and intent of this Treaty.