Welcome to the Western Edge 2026-2027 Season!
Western Edge is proud to present a season of comedy and joy, with all shows holding true to our mandate of great modern Canadian Theatre. Our three selected mainstage plays are all twists on classic tales, with the 4th in our series, a unique 6-shot offering of different themed showcases to celebrate with local talent!
A season to come laugh, learn, and love live cutting-edge theatre!
Western Edge's 2026-27 Lineup:
A Christmas Carol: The Revenge of Tiny Tim
By Dan Bray
Nov 27th - Dec 8th, 2026
9 Shows! - 4 matinees! - 90mins including intermission
Think you know the full story? Think again.
Stirred to action by ol' billionaire Scrooge's selfish ways, London's favourite ragamuffin - Tiny Tim - sells his soul to the devil to get revenge! A hilarious, irreverent retelling of the holiday classic, told in the true Villainous style: packed full of heart and cheek. Come rediscover Charles Dickens' immortal story, reimagined by Dan Bray, playwright of hilarious Knight of the Bat.
The perfect show to raise your spirits with laughter and revelry this holiday season!
Iago Speaks
By Daniel MacDonald
April 9th - 19th, 2027
8 Shows! - 3 matinees! - 80mins no intermission
At first glance, Iago Speaks appears to follow the events immediately after the curtain comes down on Shakespeare's Othello; but this dynamic two-hander quickly turns, introducing us to lago and his jailor - a bit player - as he tries to find the true purpose of his repetitive task of keeping watch over lago.
Will lago break free? Will the Jailor finally be the protagonist of his own story? What is the point of stories? Why do we keep telling the same old stories? And why theatre anyway? Iago Speaks tackles these questions - and more all while you sit on the edge of your seats. Iago Speaks will make you howl with laughter even as it's asking life's - and theatre's - biggest questions.
The Real Sherlock Holmes
By Peter Colley
June 17th - 27th, 2027
The year is 1876. Arthur Conan Doyle is a medical student at the University of Edinburgh; his professor, Dr. Joseph Bell, is the man Doyle always claimed as the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes. The two men could not be more different - Dr. Bell instilled in the young Doyle the need for keen observation in medical mysteries, while Doyle was a lifelong believer in using mysticism and the occult to uncover hidden secrets - something his most famous creation would have despised. The Real Sherlock Holmes examines the origins of the Sherlock character using the actual historical personalities of the two men, framed by a Sherlockian-style adventure as they compete to solve a mysterious death. It's logic versus magic, who will win?
One-Shot Events
Public holidays or celebrations, as well as commemorative days and months are deeply woven into the fabric of being human. They underscore what is important enough to universally demarcate on a Calander. To bring the community together away from the mundane, to tell stories, to sing, to dance, to blow off steam or have a special meal. They might honour an event, a person, a value or a time of year but they are all a cause for some jubilation.
As part of their Season of Joy, Western Edge invites you to six separate such opportunities for merriment.
Each evening will hold an intricately woven basket of story telling, threaded with popular and original music designed to help you both laugh and reflect on the reason that the celebration in question found it’s mark on a Calander.
December 31st, 2026
New Year’s Eve entitled, “Less Bitter, More Glitter”
2026 has not been the kindest year on record and some of us are more resentful than others. It’s time to let that all go... or not. It may just be for a few hours, but this will be the ideal opportunity to collectively embrace the clean slate that is 2027 … or not. Optimists and Pessimists will be welcomed and rewarded equally by the content.
January 23rd, 2027
In honour of Robbie Burns Day … For better or for Verse … entitled, “An Ode to the Haggis”
It’s not as offal as it sounds!
Whereas Shakespeare has whole summer festivals dedicated to his writing, Robbie has just one day and we are taking advantage of it. Besides this was the ideal opportunity to introduce both Bagpipes and men in kilts into the Western Edge Diet. Enjoy!
February 13th, 2027
Valentines Day (well almost) entitled “What’s Love got to do with it?"
Ahh love, where would we be without it? There would be a whole lot less music or art, that’s for sure. It stretches across all cultures, ages and sexual orientations. To be honest Western Edge could have done several seasons on the topic of Love, but we have squished it into one glorious evening. Don’t miss it!
March 21st, 2027
World Theatre Month entitled “There’s No Business Like Show Business”
Our first commemorative month celebration and not only does it span 31 days, but it spans all the cultures on the planet and all genres of Theatre from Musicals to Mime.
So much material so little time. What do we leave out? Come and find out.
May 9th, 2027
For Mother’s Day this year we give you “Mum’s the Word”
Our only Matinee of the six…because we took a quick poll and Mum’s like matinees…and if a Mum wants to go to a matinee on Mother’s Day, there should be a matinee to take them to and if that matinee is about Mothering in any shape or form, you will earn extra points from that Mother. Enough said!
June 5th, 2027
Western Edge is Celebrating Pride Month with an evening entitled “Baby, You were Born This Way”
Our second commemorative month celebration and it is a doozy. Whereas Pride is celebrated in other months throughout Canada, it is celebrated in June here in Nanaimo and we would have been so remiss not to include it as the finale to our Six nights. There will be Music, there will be dancing, there will be THEATRE!
Support Western Edge
When you donate to Western Edge, you’re saying “Yes” to contemporary, cutting-edge theatre on central Vancouver island, “Yes” to providing some of our community’s most talented theatre artists and technicians with paid opportunities to do their work, and “Yes” to more opportunities for you to enjoy their work!