Performing Arts

Edmonton [1]’s 14 theater companies present productions at various locations all year long. For most companies, September–May is the main season. The Citadel (9828 101A Ave., 780/425-1820 or 888/425-1820, www.citadeltheatre.com [2]) is Canada’s largest theater facility, taking up an entire downtown block. From the outside, it looks like a gigantic greenhouse; one entire side is glass, enclosing a magnificent indoor garden complete with a walking paths and benches.

The complex houses five theaters: The Maclab Theatre showcases the work of teens and children; the intimate Rice Theatre features mainly experimental and innovative productions; Zeidler Hall hosts films, lectures, and children’s theater; Tucker Amphitheatre presents concerts and recitals across a pond and surrounded by tropical greenery, and often puts on small lunchtime stage productions; and Shoctor Theatre is the main stage for the Citadel’s long-running subscription program ($28–65 per production).

For slightly more adventurous productions and occasional international imports, see what’s going on at the Northern Light Theatre (11516 103rd St., 780/471-1586, www.northernlighttheatre.com [3], $20). Edmonton’s oldest theater is the Walterdale Playhouse (10322 83rd Ave., 780/439-2845, www.walterdaleplayhouse.com [4], from $8), in the heart of Old Strathcona [5], which presents historical and humorous material through an October–June season in a 1910 fire hall.

In the heart of the Arts District [6] is the magnificent Winspear Centre (corner of 99th St. and 102nd Ave., www.winspearcentre.com [7]), a venue renowned as an acoustic wonder that is also capable of producing high-quality amplified sound. It is home to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (780/428-1414 or 800/563-1108, www.edmontonsymphony.com [8], $29–48) and attracts a wide variety of national and international musical acts, ranging from choirs to classical performers.

Both the Edmonton Opera (780/429-1000, www.edmontonopera.com [9]) and the Alberta Ballet (780/428-6839, www.albertaballet.com [10]) perform at the Jubilee Auditorium in the University of Alberta (11455 87th Avenue).