After a summer of maintenance, Showtime returns for the Lester Centre of the Arts

The Stage at the Lester Centre of the Arts is ready for a full
schedule of events for 2022-23
(From Lester Centre of the Arts FB Page)

As the summer of 2022 heads towards the exit door, the fall season of entertainment is on the horizon and for the City's iconic Lester Centre of the Arts, 2022-23 is promising to be one with much ado about everything.

Chris Armstrong, the General Manager for the Lester Centre of the Arts provided for the highlights of a busy year ahead earlier this month, with a preview of the variety of projects set to take to the stage at the Wantage Road facility.

In their information release, Armstrong notes of some fifteen unique events set to take place, with a block of three days in October set aside to celebrate the 35th Anniversary of the city's home for the Arts.

The Celebration of thirty five years of will take place October 13-15 with an extended Gala, featuring dance, music, theatre, and a world-class magician, Chris Funk.

“We’ve named the season ‘Welcome Back’ because this will be our first full season since the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020. In keeping with the theme, we’d like to welcome back performers and audiences alike to once again enjoy the best of the performing arts.” -- Chris Armstrong, General Manager of the Lester Centre.

Local productions will also feature prominently in 2022-23 with both a Community Musical and the annual showcase of the talents of Charles Hays students.

The Charles Hays presentation comes up December 1-3, when Prince Rupert theatre goers will find just who lives in a pineapple under the seas, As the Charles Hays theatre program presents Spongebob the Musical.

The Community musical comes along from April 20-22, 2023 when Mamma Mia takes to the stage at the Lester Centre. 

“I’m very excited that we’ll be able to once again bring a musical to Prince Rupert, and even more excited that it’s the music of ABBA. We’ve got some incredibly talented musicians and performers in Prince Rupert who will put on a terrific show in April.” -- Alison O’Toole, who will be the Director for Mamma Mia.

Music, drama and dance mark the remainder of the 2022-23 schedule, along some of the items up for presentation is Larry Guno's Bunk Number 7 on October 8th, which takes the audience into the days of the Residential school system.

Classical music will echo through the Chamber in November with Sarah Hagen bringing the Goldberg Variations to life at the Lester Centre.

The Snowed In Comedy Tour arrives in January, while high school students from across the Northwest will gather in Prince Rupert and take to the Lester Centre Stage in February participating in the Regional High School Drama Fest.

Dance makes for two appearances in 2023, with Ballet Jorgen's Cinderella on March 1st and the BC Annual Dance Competition set for it's Prince Rupert run from May 7-13.

The season ahead had a head start earlier this month with the well received Rock or Bust: AC/DC tribute show and the 2022-23 calendar for the fall kicks off with two nights of Johnny Reid at the Lester Centre on September 12-13, the popular Canadian singer finding a huge demand for tickets requiring the addition of the second show.

The full schedule for 2022-23 and some more welcome back notes from the General Manager can be found here.

You can keep up with any late breaking additions to the schedule and notes on upcoming shows through the Lester Centre Social media stream here.

More notes on the Arts and Entertainment scene in Prince Rupert can be reviewed here.