Elbows up on Edmonton stages

After a Fringe-ful August, it's time to gear up for the 2026-2027 theatre season, with Canadian and Edmonton productions at centre stage and new artistic directors taking the reins at two theatres in town. Lana Michelle Hughes has programmed an all-Canadian season for her first season at Shadow Theatre, with Undressed by Edmonton's Louise Casemore amid three shows out of Toronto: Yaga by Kat Sandler (the season opener, running from Oct. 14), The Waltz by Marie Beath Badian, and The Golden Anniversaries by Mark Crawford.

Theatre Network's new artistic director, Jenna Rodgers, will present three partnerships this season as the theatre faces a bit of a cash-strapped situation. The lineup includes the musical Oh, Anne! in a co-presentation with Carter-Ryan Theatre. Directed by Bridget Ryan and designed by artist Jason Carter, it's running at The Roxy from Sept. 15 to Oct. 18. There will also be what's billed as Canada's first rock-and-roll panto: Jack and the Beanstalk from Theatre Yes. And the season rounds out with Bella Luz, a co-production between SkirtsAfire and Ruby Slippers Productions. "This is me trying to leverage partnerships and create connections, and relationships, and have some funding in place we can use to have the biggest impact," Rodgers told Liz Nicholls.

Citadel Theatre's season includes six productions by Canadian playwrights, including two world premiere adaptations: Sense and Sensibility, adapted by Jessica B. Hill and Citadel artistic director Daryl Cloran, and Toronto-based Erin Shields's take on The Great Gatsby. You can also catch the heartwarming Canadian story about how Newfoundlanders welcomed 7,000 stranded passengers on 9/11 through the hit musical Come From Away this spring.