Theatre

News Stories

Lexi Barudin, who wears a crown of pink roses and a pink outfit, holds onto Brandon Caul's hand.

VIU’s Theatre Department presents the dramatic comedy She Kills Monsters

February 15, 2023

What: She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen – presented by VIU’s Theatre Department  When: March 2 to 11 Where: VIU’s Malaspina Theatre (Building 310), Nanaimo campus Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Theatre Department presents the hysterical dramatic comedy She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen as this year’s spring production. The play tells the story of Agnes Evans as she comes to terms with the... Read more


Dr. Theo Finigan, a VIU English Professor, holds up the book Atomic Blonde while standing in front of the VIU koi pond.

VIU Colloquium Series kicks off with a deep dive into the action thriller Atomic Blonde

September 21, 2022

Arts and Humanities lectures at the VIU Nanaimo campus are free and open to everyone to attend. Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Arts and Humanities Colloquium Series returns this fall with three fascinating lectures. The lectures delve into the action thriller Atomic Blonde, housing availability and affordability in Louisville, and the use of songs in musical theatre. All lectures are free... Read more


Leon Potter, a VIU Theatre Professor, faces the camera, smiling.

VIU Theatre Professor explores a “Grotesque” Satirical Play During First Colloquium Lecture

January 10, 2022

Arts & Humanities Colloquium Series returns this spring with a thought-provoking lineup. Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Spring Arts & Humanities Colloquium Series will take audience members on a journey through the theatre of grotesque, and audio media techniques and creative pathways for producers and audiences. The Colloquium Series began in 2009 with the aim of creating... Read more


Zombies and Shakespeare Collide in VIU Theatre Department's Spring Play

March 3, 2020

Theatre Department presents William Shakespeare’s Land of the Dead as its spring production, which opens March 5. To be, or not to be … a zombie? Zombies shuffle through the streets of medieval London as historical characters deal with their own human schemes and woes while trying to avoid becoming one of the undead during the Vancouver Island University (VIU) Theatre Department’s production of ... Read more


Linda Dohmeier, left, Ana Carvalho, and Brando Martell rehearse a scene from The End of Civilization.

VIU Theatre Department Presents Fall Studio Show – The End of Civilization

November 18, 2019

Student actors push envelope during dark, gritty play that explores rage, murder and the actions of desperate people. What does it mean to be civilized? What happens when the limits of integrity and morality are pushed beyond the breaking point? These questions are posed in Canadian playwright George F. Walker’s Suburban Motel. In the fourth chapter of this gritty series of short plays, The End... Read more


Cast members of SlugFest rehearse a scene for the upcoming musical comedy presented by VIU's Theatre Department and the Other Guys Theatre Company.

VIU Partners with Other Guys Theatre Company to Produce Hysterical Melodrama

October 17, 2019

Ross Desprez is a VIU Theatre Department Professor and creator of SlugFest – a musical comedy set in a dystopian Vancouver Island community. What happens when slug slime is hailed as a medical miracle? The residents of a small poverty-stricken and slug-infested village begin celebrating their good fortune! But Samantha, a young crusader for the environment, is determined to stop the lucrative yet... Read more


VIU Music Department Instructor Hans Verhoeven sits on a rock near a pond holding a drum.

Cozy Classrooms, Biomusical Beats, and Crime and Punishment Explored in Colloquium Series

September 23, 2019

Lectures allow VIU faculty to explore questions and share their passions with students, colleagues and the public. This fall, three Vancouver Island University (VIU) drummers will attempt to merge into a single entity of sound during a performance of Nebojša Živković’s Trio Per Uno. The piece, which requires the musicians to play on multiple percussion setups, combines quick tempos, complex... Read more


Murder, Living in Hell and Facing Fate: VIU's Malaspina Theatre Introduces 2018-19 Season

October 9, 2018

The Malaspina Theatre at VIU’s 2018-19 performance lineup includes Concord Floral, No Exit and Oedipus Rex performed by students. ­­ From a creepy, murder-thriller, to a play set in hell, to a re-envisioned Greek classic, Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Malaspina Theatre explores a range of themes this year. The Theatre’s 2018-19 season includes two mainstage plays – Concord Floral (October... Read more


Drummer Brain, Prison Theatre and Heritage Graffiti Featured in Colloquium Talks

September 24, 2018

Free public lecture series hosted by the VIU Faculty of Arts and Humanities covers range of themes From how drummers, prisoners and 16th Century Scottish women think; to the role graffiti plays in the art world; to an investigation of how media creates a sense of belonging, a free public lecture series at Vancouver Island University (VIU) investigates a wide range of topics. Every year, Vancouver... Read more


5 Questions with Leon Potter

June 6, 2018

Meet Leon Potter, Chair of VIU’s Theatre department, who prior to coming to VIU had been working as an actor, director and designer in the theatre industry since 1989. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre, specializing in lighting and set design, from the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts in Directing from London’s prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.   The founding Artistic... Read more


Events

Mar
31
When: Friday, Mar 31, 2023, 12:00PM - 1:30PM
Nanaimo Campus

March 31 is Transgender Day of Visibility. The Positive Space Alliance and VIUFA Women’s and Gender Equity (WAGE) committee are organizing an event to mark this important day at VIU’s Nanaimo campus. Join us on March 31 in the Malaspina Theatre Lobby (Building 310) from 12:00-1:30PM for a Creative Showcase to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility! We want to celebrate voices from the...


Apr
01
When: Saturday, Apr 1, 2023, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
Repeats every week 3 times. Also includes Sat Apr 01 2023, Sun Apr 02 2023.
Nanaimo Campus

The infamous cult leader is back – and he’s singing! The Cult of Brother 12 is a witty, irreverent, and very tuneful take on the story of the spiritual leader and con man who, in the 1920s, drew acolytes to Valdes Island from around the world.Following a sold out run at OV Arts Centre last spring, The Cult of Brother XII – A Musical Dark Comedy returns to Nanaimo, with an energized, revitalized...


Apr
02
When: Saturday, Apr 1, 2023, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
Repeats every week 3 times. Also includes Sat Apr 01 2023, Sun Apr 02 2023.
Nanaimo Campus

The infamous cult leader is back – and he’s singing! The Cult of Brother 12 is a witty, irreverent, and very tuneful take on the story of the spiritual leader and con man who, in the 1920s, drew acolytes to Valdes Island from around the world.Following a sold out run at OV Arts Centre last spring, The Cult of Brother XII – A Musical Dark Comedy returns to Nanaimo, with an energized, revitalized...


Apr
06
When: Saturday, Apr 1, 2023, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
Repeats every week 3 times. Also includes Sat Apr 01 2023, Sun Apr 02 2023.
Nanaimo Campus

The infamous cult leader is back – and he’s singing! The Cult of Brother 12 is a witty, irreverent, and very tuneful take on the story of the spiritual leader and con man who, in the 1920s, drew acolytes to Valdes Island from around the world.Following a sold out run at OV Arts Centre last spring, The Cult of Brother XII – A Musical Dark Comedy returns to Nanaimo, with an energized, revitalized...


Apr
13
When: Saturday, Apr 1, 2023, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
Repeats every week 3 times. Also includes Sat Apr 01 2023, Sun Apr 02 2023.
Nanaimo Campus

The infamous cult leader is back – and he’s singing! The Cult of Brother 12 is a witty, irreverent, and very tuneful take on the story of the spiritual leader and con man who, in the 1920s, drew acolytes to Valdes Island from around the world.Following a sold out run at OV Arts Centre last spring, The Cult of Brother XII – A Musical Dark Comedy returns to Nanaimo, with an energized, revitalized...


Apr
15
When: Saturday, Apr 15, 2023, 2:30PM - 4:30PM
Nanaimo Campus

Nanaimo Contemporary Ballet's "The 4 Seasons,"is an innovative and dynamic production that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the natural world through the art of contemporary ballet. Produced and directed by Chantelle Ristine in collaboration with NCB Company and the delightful edition of NCB Petite, this breathtaking production is sure to be an unforgettable theatre experience for all ages...


Apr
15
When: Saturday, Apr 15, 2023, 7:30PM - 9:30PM
Nanaimo Campus

Nanaimo Contemporary Ballet's "The 4 Seasons,"is an innovative and dynamic production that celebrates the beauty and diversity of the natural world through the art of contemporary ballet. Produced and directed by Chantelle Ristine in collaboration with NCB Company and the delightful edition of NCB Petite, this breathtaking production is sure to be an unforgettable theatre experience for all ages...


Apr
21
When: Friday, Apr 21, 2023, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Repeats every week 1 times.
Nanaimo Campus

Happening on April 21st & 22nd, 2023, at the Malaspina Theatre, for the first time, the 2023 VISFF will be both in person and online. Each program will include 10 memorable and exciting short films and Q&A sessions with featured filmmakers. The festival will conclude with The Goldie Awards Ceremony on Saturday evening.


Apr
21
When: Friday, Apr 21, 2023, 7:00PM - 9:00PM
Repeats every week every Saturday 1 times.
Nanaimo Campus

We are thrilled to be returning to a hybrid in-person & online festival for the 18th Annual Vancouver Island Short Film Festival on April 21st & 22nd, 2023, at the Malaspina Theatre in Nanaimo, BC.20 unique films curated into two impactful programs. The selected films are a diverse mix of comedies, dramas, animated films, documentaries and everything in between from filmmakers from around...