Wednesday, February, 26th 2025
For Immediate Release
Photo credit:  Shawn Farquhar two-time World Champion of Magic 

Nanaimo’s TheatreOne presents April Fools Us as the final show in their 2024/25 Showcase Series – Supporting live professional theatre at TheatreOne.  There will be one performance at 7:30 pm Tuesday, April 1st at the Port Theatre. Tickets are $45 and are available through the Port Theatre Box Office. 

An Evening of mind-blowing magic from five British Columbia Magicians who have appeared on the hit American Television Show Penn and Teller Fool Us. 

Celebrate April Fools Day with TheatreOne and five British Columbia magicians who were showcased on the hit television series Penn and Teller Fool Us.  The Show features Two-Time World Champion of Magic, Shawn Farquhar, who will also double as our host for the evening.  Farquhar is also the owner of the Hidden Wonders Speakeasy Magic Experience, and the subject of the recent independent film Lost in the Shuffle. 

The show also features: Damien James, who wowed audiences on Britian’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, and Canada’s Got Talent – along with Mr. Cuddles the Evil Octopus – Future Ruler of the World; The Brilliant Vitaly Beckman for whom the art of magic meets the magic of art; Murray Hatfield, who produced the Magic ‘n Miracles tour that helped raise almost 20 million dollars for charities in Canada and the United States; and a very special mystery performer. 

April Fools Us is generously sponsored and supported by the City of Nanaimo, the BC Live Performance Network, the British Columbia Arts Council, CHLY, the Quality Inn, and the Nanaimo News Bulletin.  TheatreOne acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia. 

TheatreOne acknowledges and thanks the Snuneymuxw First Nation, on whose traditional territory we live, create, and perform. 

Contact:
Michael Cade – Artistic and Managing Director
250-754-7587  michael@theatreone.ca 

About TheatreOne 

TheatreOne has been bringing professional theatre to Nanaimo and the mid-Island for 40 years. We engage diverse local audiences of all ages and persuasions, including the very young, and in doing so support theatre professionals and local businesses. We work with playwrights from British Columbia and across Canada to foster development of new Canadian works; we premier new productions; and through our support to touring artists we give Nanaimo audiences access to great theatre developed elsewhere.  

About April Fools Us 

April Fools Us is being created and performed exclusively for this one-time fundraising opportunity at Nanaimo’s Port Theatre. TheatreOne’s Artistic and Managing Director, Michael Cade, produced the only formal magic presentation series in British Columbia. A partnership between the Chilliwack Cultural Centre and Shawn Farquhar, Cade and Farquhar worked to produce an annual four-show series of Shawn Farquhar’s Cabaret of Wonders over a six year period.  Each edition featured Farquhar as host, along with three or four Canadian, or international magicians.  The Artists for April Fools Us not only appeared on Penn and Teller Fool Us, but also on Shawn Farquhar’s Cabaret of Wonders. 

About Penn and Teller Fool Us 

Penn & Teller Fool Us is a magic competition television series in which magicians perform tricks in front of American magician-comedian duo Penn & Teller. After each performance, if Penn & Teller cannot figure out how a trick was done, the magician(s) who performed it win a Fool Us trophy (since season 2) and a five-star trip to Las Vegas to perform as the opening act in Penn & Teller’s show, also at the Rio Hotel & Casino. 

About Shawn Farquhar 

Shawn Farquhar is a Canadian magician and illusionist, notable for his title as the “Grand Prix World Champion of Magic,” from the International Federation of Magic Societies. 

His awards include being the only magician in history to win First Place at the International Brotherhood of Magicians (IBM) for both Stage and Sleight of Hand, twice Canadian Association of Magicians Magician of the Year, First Place at the Society of American Magicians annual magic convention competition, three Silver (2nd Place) awards, and a First (World Championship) in Card Magic and the Grand Prix World Championship for Close Up at FISM, the “Olympics of Magic”. In August 2009, he won his most prestigious prize at the FISM World Championship of Magic in Beijing. On May 1, 2010, the Canadian Association of Magicians once again named him Canadian Magician of the Year, making him the only two-time recipient of their most prestigious award. 

Living in British Columbia, Farquhar travels the world extensively, performing and lecturing for magicians, and consulting for television shows and motion pictures. He has appeared on the cover of the largest magic publications in Asia, Europe, and North America. He has also appeared on stages all over the world, including the Riveria (Las Vegas), Opera House (Blackpool) and Orpheum (Vancouver). He performed for Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Charlottetown, PEI, and traveled to Bermuda at the request of The Princess Royal. 

He is a Past President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, the Canadian Association of Magicians and Pacific Coast Association of Magicians. 

About Damien James 

The only ventriloquist to fool Penn & Teller, Damien creates all of his characters and also works as a Special Effects Artist for film and television. Now Damien joins Shawn Farquhar, Vitaly Beckman, and Murray Hatfield for April Fools Us. 

Damien has loved magic and ventriloquism since he was six. That’s when his mother bought him a simple magic book and his parents gave him a Tommy Talker – a pull string dummy from the Sears Christmas catalogue. 

A graduate from The Maher School of Ventriloquism, Damien was the youngest to win the Ventriloquist of the Year Award at The Magic Capitol of the World Convention. He is also formally trained in magic. 

He is a student of Dick Smith, an Academy Award-winning special effects guru. Damien also works behind the scenes on many television shows and films. 

About Vitaly Beckman 

He stumped Penn & Teller twice on their hit TV show Fool Us. He has amazed and entertained audiences from all over the world, including his own off-Broadway run. He is hailed as one of the most unique and innovative illusionists in the world. 

Combining breathtaking visuals with his captivating style, Vitaly Beckman’s performance is an interactive theatrical experience that takes the audience on a magical journey. Along the way, Vitaly blends art and illusion to illustrate the story of his transformation from a boy with a dream, to a man with a vision—the vision of a world where the rules of reality do not exist. In this world, paintings spring to life, photographs become mini-movies, and audience members see their faces vanish from their own drivers’ licenses. Even time, itself, reverses as bare broken branches visibly repair and renew themselves with the green leaves of spring. 

Featuring some of the most original illusions ever witnessed — many of which touch on tender topics such as love, loss, and growing old — Vitaly does more than entertain — he moves, inspires, and instills within the audience a fresh perspective on life and a greater realization that ours is a world of beauty and wonder. 

About Murray Hatfield 

Murray Hatfield was bitten by the magic bug after seeing his first magician at the age of 10… he never recovered! From that moment on, Murray invested all his time and energy into his new-found passion. 

Murray combines magic, contemporary music, interactive comedy and some of the newest, most exciting, and most up-to-date illusions in the world today. Whether a smaller after-dinner performance, or a full-scale stage show, his magic is compelling, unique, and world class. 

Murray and his wife, Teresa, have produced, directed and starred in the Canadian touring production of Magic ‘n Miracles for over 20 years. This is the largest and most prestigious annual touring magic and illusion show in Canada, which has helped to raise over 20 million dollars for charities. 

Over the last decade they have thrilled audiences around the globe. They have toured and performed in numerous countries including Australia, China, Cyprus, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, and throughout North America. Some recent credits include performances in Reno, NV (on the largest indoor stage on the continent) Southport, UK (as the headline performers of the International Brotherhood of Magicians European Conference), and Hollywood, where they are regular guest stars at the world-famous Magic Castle. 

In addition to touring on land, Murray Hatfield has also appeared on numerous luxury cruise ships around the globe, and as featured entertainment for corporate functions from Canada and the USA to as far away as Singapore. 

Murray & Teresa have been recognized and honored by their peers with numerous awards and accolades, including the Bruce Curnott Trophy for Presentational Excellence and the Silver Medal at the Pacific Rim Magic Challenge. In 2006 they were named Canada’s Magicians of the Year by the Canadian Association of Magicians while Teresa three times was named Assistant of the Year by the Society of American Magicians. In recognition of their excellence, Murray and Teresa were awarded a Presidential Citation by the President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians. 

About the Special Mystery Guest Performer 

Our Special Mystery Guest is a seasoned, well-respected professional Magician from the Lower Mainland who has spent the last 18 years performing internationally and creating their own unique style of magic.  They have won countless international magic competitions, including multiple awards as champion of close-up, card, and stage magic.  Their magic is inspired by the wonder they observe in everyday items and experiences. 

So why are they a Mystery Guest?  April Fools Us is a show featuring British Columbia magicians who have appeared on the television show Penn and Teller’s Fool Us.  The problem is, that as of now, our Mystery Guest hasn’t actually performed on the show but will appear on the series the week following April Fools Us. Until their segment on the television series is formally announced, they are under a strict non-disclosure agreement to not mention their appearance.  Lucky for you, TheatreOne’s Artistic and Managing Director just happened to have a friend in the audience the day the Mystery Guest’s segment was filmed and was able to arrange their appearance as part of April Fools Us under the condition that their name not be used until the actual performance. 

Tuesday, February 25, 2025
For Immediate Release
A New Musical Just for Kids! 

TheatreOne brings the final show in their Just for Kids series – Frog Belly Rat Bone – to the Vancouver Island University’s Malaspina Theatre at 2:00 pm on Sunday, March 30th. 

Once upon a time, in a dull, gray endless place called Cementland, there lived a very special boy who wished to find TREASURE… and after much searching among piles of greasy toaster ovens and wet smelly socks, he spied a box filled with specks, and a wrinkled note that said “Put these wondrous riches in the earth and enjoy.” 

Horrified to learn that thieves are after his treasure, the boy scrounged through the junkyard and conjures a creature to stand guard – a scarecrow-like gardener with crooked bony arms, a giant belly, and a jaunty crown – Frog Belly Rat Bone! 

Based on Timothy Basil Ering’s bestselling book for children, this new musical theatre version was created by Axis Theatre’s Artistic Director, Chris McGregor, and features performers Paige Fraser and Steffanie Davis, along with puppets designed by Dusty Hagerüd. 

Beautifully handcrafted puppets and an original pop/rock musical score is coming to Cementland as two enigmatic garbage collectors tell the story of a very special boy, and the treasures he brings to his world. 

Suitable for children from kindergarten to grade 7 

Frog Belly Rat Bone comes to the Malaspina Theatre with one performance on Sunday, March 30th at 2:00pm. Tickets are $12 or $10 each when buying four or more.  Reserved seat tickets can be purchased online through TheatreOne.ca, over the phone by calling 250-754-7587 (Monday to Friday – noon to 5 pm), or at the door (limited to seating availability). 

Frog Belly Rat Bone is generously sponsored and supported by the Mid-Island Co-op, City of Nanaimo, Nisa.net+, the BC Live Performance Network, the British Columbia Arts Council, and the Nanaimo News Bulletin.  TheatreOne acknowledges the financial support of the Province of British Columbia. 

TheatreOne acknowledges and thanks the Snuneymuxw First Nation, on whose traditional territory we live, create, and perform. 

Contact:
Michael Cade – Artistic and Managing Director
250-754-7587  michael@theatreone.ca 

Photo Credit:
Featuring from left to right, Paige Fraser & Steffanie Davis.  Puppet design by Dusty Hagerüd 

About TheatreOne 

TheatreOne has been bringing professional theatre to Nanaimo and the mid-Island for 40 years. We engage diverse local audiences of all ages and persuasions, including the very young, and in doing so, support theatre professionals and local businesses. We work with playwrights from British Columbia and across Canada, to foster development of new Canadian works; we premier new productions; and through our support to touring artists we give Nanaimo audiences access to great theatre developed elsewhere.  

About The Author – Timothy Basil Ering 

Timothy Basil Ering is a multi-talented artist, known for his roles as an illustrator, fine artist, concept artist, and children’s book author. His diverse creative pursuits encompass book illustrations, gallery installations, and video game visuals. Each work is inspired by a love for the sea and reflects a spirit of adventure.  Ering’s high-energy, captivating author/illustrator presentations have been enjoyed in communities across the United States and Canada and even as far South East Asia. 

About the Playwright and Director – Chris McGregor 

Chris is a third generation Settler from Scotland and England. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Drama from Bishop’s University and a Masters in Theatre (MFA) in Directing from the University of British Columbia. He has taught physical theatre, Commedia dell’arte, mask, and Red Nose Clown, at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Bishop’s University and Studio 58. He has directed more than 60 productions across Canada, has won four Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards and been nominated for three Ovation Awards for directing. Chris has adapted several children’s books into puppet plays for the stage: The Little Old Man, Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, Frog Belly Rat Bone, and Cry, Heart, But Never Break. He has directed several plays for Axis Theatre: Hamelin: A New Fable, Raven Meets The Monkey King, Robinson Crusoe and Friday, Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, Quelqu’un T’aime M. Hatch, Th’owxiya: The Hungry Feast Dish, Kwi’ah: The Girl Who Heals (film), The Troll Grandfather, Frog Belly Rat Bone, and Where have all The Buffalo Gone? 

<< Frog Belly facebook image one.jpg >> 

About Axis Theatre 

Axis’ productions are performed in theatres and schools, enriching curriculum, drawing children into stories, and giving them access to ideas in new ways. Their 59 original works have earned 21 Jessie Richardson Awards, A Betty Mitchell Award and a Drama Desk Nomination for Unique Theatrical Experience. 

Lin Bennett, Wendy Gorling, Elizabeth Murray-Byers, and Wayne Specht (who became the founding Artistic Director), came together as a group in 1973-74. Each member trained at either Étienne Decroux or L’École Lecoq and were eager to promote their chosen art form. The Axis Mime Theatre Society incorporated in May 1975 as the next step to access financial support to create the structure needed to administer their activities on a consistent, professional level. Over 45 years later, Axis Theatre Company continues to create original physical theatre productions for the young and young at heart. 

MEDIA RELEASE

Thursday, November 2nd, 2023

TheatreOne Brings high flying musical Billy Bishop Goes To War to Nanaimo

Join TheatreOne in celebrating our 40th anniversary by flying through the skies and going down into the trenches with Billy Bishop Goes to War. this engaging, whimsical, and heart-wrenching production dramatizes the life of Canadian First World War flying Ace, Billy Bishop, who is credited with 72 victories – including those during the Battle of Vimy Ridge – and surviving an encounter with the infamous Red Baron himself.

Nearing the end of his life, an aged Bishop recounts the triumphs and horrors of the First World War, – “the war to end all wars.” Through raucous stories, haunting memories, and vibrant song, Bishop traces his journey from Royal Military College troublemaker to the top flying ace of the British Empire.

Damon Calderwood plays Billy Bishop (as well as 17 other roles) while Chris Robson tackles the piano and provides vocal accompaniment. Calderwood has brought a fresh new interpretation to Billy Bishop which is packed with humour and hellfire.

Written in 1978 by John MacLachlan Gray, in collaboration with Corner Gas star Eric Peterson, Billy Bishop Goes To War met with rave reviews during its original run. The play has since been performed in over 150 independent productions. It has won the prestigious Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Award, the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play Award, and the Governor General’s Award for English Drama.

Billy Bishop reconciles the ecstasy of flying with the horrors of war as he takes the audience along on his incredible journey.

“Missing this show is a mistake for anyone who is even a casual fan of theatre. Not only does the show make for an entertaining piece of theatre, but it also shines a light on one of Canada’s great military heroes.” – Fort McMurray Today

Billy Bishop Goes To War is coming to the Malaspina Theatre on December 1st at 7:30 pm (pay what you can for this performance only), December 2nd at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm, and December 3rd at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $33 for adults and $20 for students and can be purchased online through TheatreOne.ca .

Billy Bishop Goes To War is generously sponsored and supported by: The Province of British Columbia and the City of Nanaimo

Contact:

Michael Cade – Executive Director 250-754-7587 michael@theatreone.ca

TheatreOne has been bringing professional theatre to Nanaimo and the mid-Island for 40 years. We engage diverse local audiences of all ages and persuasions, including the very young, and in doing so support theatre professionals and local businesses. We work with playwrights from British Columbia and across Canada to foster development of new Canadian works; we premier new productions; and through our support to touring artist’s we give Nanaimo audiences access to great theatre developed elsewhere.

About Billy Bishop

William Avery (Billy) Bishop (1894-1956) was Canada’s highest scoring fighter pilot of World War 1, with 72 victories. Born on Feb. 8, 1894, in Owen Sound, Ontario, Bishop attended the Royal Military College in Kingston before joining the 8th Canadian Mounted Rifles once war began in 1914. Bishop sought and received a transfer to the British Royal Flying Corps in December 1915.

He eventually received his pilot’s license in 1917 flying Nieuport 17s and SE5As. He was referred to as The Lone Hawk for his preference (like Albert Ball) for solo missions. Perhaps unfortunately for a member of the RFC, he was also regarded as something of a weak pilot, suffering from a tendency to crash land his aircraft.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross for a single-handed attack against the German Aerodrome at Arras on June 2, 1917, and was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for the feat of scoring 25 kills within just 12 days as leader of the so-called Flying Foxes.

Bishop survived the war (unlike a great many of his contemporaries) as commander of 85 Squadron. He was in fact withdrawn from active duty in June 1918 for fear that he would be shot down (with consequent ill-effect upon morale at home). The same year he published his war memoirs, Winged Warfare.

After the armistice, Bishop initially traveled the U.S. giving lectures and co-founding (with fellow Canadian ace Billy Barker) a charter airline business, which went bankrupt. He eventually established himself as a successful sales director for Frontenac Oil in Canada.

During World War II he served as Air Marshall with responsibility for Canadian recruitment. After the war he entered semi-retirement, later attempting to enlist (unsuccessfully) during the Korean War.

He died peacefully November 9, 1956, in Florida.

About the Performers

*Damon Calderwood, Billy Bishop

Damon Calderwood was born in Vancouver, grew up in North Vancouver, and began acting at a very young age. Some of his favourite roles include John Merrick in The Elephant Man (Pacific Theatre), Dylan Thomas in Dylan (Elder College), Billy Bishop in Billy Bishop Goes to War (Ace Productions/First Impressions Theatre), Bardolph and Orleans in Henry V (Bard on the Beach), Man 1 in I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (Oregon Cabaret Theatre), Sherlock Holmes in Holmes and Watson Save the Empire! (Ace Productions/First Impressions Theatre), and Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof (Royal City Musical Theatre). Recent credits include Franz in The Sound of Music (Arts Club Theatre), Hysterium in A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the

Forum (Blue Bridge Theatre), Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd (Snapshots Collective), Herr Schultz in Cabaret (Royal City Musical Theatre), Mr. Harari in Ruined (Dark Glass/Pacific Theatre), C.S. Lewis in Freud’s Last Session (Ace Productions), King Triton in The Little Mermaid (Align Entertainment), Mr. Bumble and Bill Sykes in Oliver! (Theatre Under the Stars), and Burl Sanders in Smoke on the Mountain (Pacific Theatre). A passionate bird photographer, Damon is the author of four books on bird photography with his latest, Birding for Kids, coming out in the near future. Damon is also the proud Daddy of a 9 year-old son, Riley, and a 5 year-old son, Corey.

Chris Robson, Piano

UBC Graduate (BFA: Acting, MFA: Directing) Theatre acting highlights include: apprenticeship – Stratford Festival; Ontario tour – Cascade Children’s Theatre; Carousel/Axis Twelfth Night tour: Count Orsino/Aguecheek; Vancouver Fringe Festival Picks of the Fringe: The Brontë Brothers, The Maenads, ‘Nucklehead Fever New Wit, Blandiloquence, David Mamet’s Romance.

Directing: Suburban Motel, In The Beginning, Our Country’s Good, The Last Five Years, Freud’s Last Session, and Tour Director/Accompanist/Moriarty in Holmes and Watson Save the Empire!

Director

*Gerry Mackay

Select directing credits include Billy Bishop Goes to War for ACE productions and First Impressions Theatre, The Braggart Soldier, for United Players, Twelfth Night for Malaspina College, The Memory of Water for Metro theatre, and Electra, The Bald Soprano, Problem Child, Give and Take, and Measure for Measure for the University of British Columbia.

Select acting credits include: Julius Caesar, A Winter’s Tale, Much Ado About Nothing for Bard on the Beach. Dinner with Friends, and Hamlet for the Arts Club. A Christmas Carol, A perfect Ganesh, For the Pleasure of Seeing her Again, for the Globe theatre, The Retreat, Scandal, Ethan Claymore, and Sexy Laundry for Western Canada Theatre, True West for Humdinger Productions. Other theatres include the Citadel, Canstage, and the Stratford Festival. Gerry has a BFA from the University of Victoria, and an MFA from the University of British Columbia.

Playwright

John MacLachlan Gray

John MacLachlan Gray was born on September 26, 1946, in Ottawa. He grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia and moved to Vancouver in 1968. A graduate of UBC, he was a founder of Tamahnous Theatre.

The show you are about to see is his tour de force and is truly a Canadian treasure.

Billy Bishop Goes To War was written in 1978 by Gray in collaboration with Eric Peterson (of Corner Gas fame). It premiered Nov. 11, 1978, at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre before touring across Canada, to Washington, DC, on and off Broadway, the Edinborough Festival and London’s West End. This iconic Canadian play with music won the Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Award in 1981, the Chalmers Canadian Play Award in 1982 and the Governor General’s Award for Drama in 1983. John MacLachlan Gray was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2000.

Gray and Peterson collaborated again in 1998, writing another version of the play as seen through the eyes of the older Billy Bishop looking back on his life. One song was added, and John and Eric have since updated the play once again for the film by the same name.

“A high-flying ace of a show capturing the humor, the hellfire, and the derring-do of an extraordinary career!” – The New York Times …

Eric Peterson

Eric Peterson was born on October 2, 1946, in Indian Head, Saskatchewan. He has had a long and distinguished theatrical career, performing across Canada, including doing many local shows at The Arts Club Theatre, Vancouver Playhouse, and many other venues.

Educated at both The University of Saskatchewan and UBC., in 1974 he moved to Toronto, where he joined Theatre Passe Muraille and appeared in several collective documentary productions, including The Farm Show (1972) and most notably 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt (1973), in which he played principal roles.

In 1976 he began working with John Gray, a playwright/director and fellow alumnus from Tamahnous Theatre, to create his most critically successful work, Billy Bishop Goes to War, a two-man show (Gray appeared as the narrator and pianist) in which he played more than 17 characters. The stage play premiered in Vancouver in 1978 and went on to tour internationally for several years, acclaimed on Broadway, in London’s West End, and at the Edinburgh Festival Mainstage.

He was awarded the 1980 Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Performance for Billy Bishop Goes to War at the Mark Taper Forum Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and the show was also awarded the 1980 Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Production. In addition, John Gray and he were awarded the 1980 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Playwriting for Billy Bishop Goes to War.

In September 1982, the CBC broadcast a televised adaptation, which earned Peterson an ACTRA award nomination for his performance. In 1998, Peterson reprised his performance at Canadian Stage in Toronto and later at the National Arts Centre (NAC) in Ottawa.

In October 2000, he appeared in Hysteria at CanStage and in January 2001 he performed in Clout at the NAC.

During the 1980s, Peterson established himself as a film and television actor. Until recently, his most prominent television character was left-wing lawyer Leon Robinovitch on the long-running CBC drama Street Legal (1986-94), for which he won three Gemini awards for best actor in a drama series.

His guest performance in the children’s TV program Sesame Park (1972-2002) brought him another Gemini Award in 2001. From 2004 to 2006 he was seen as Judge Malone on the George F. Walker CBC drama This Is Wonderland. He appeared as the irascible Oscar Leroy on the hit CTV sitcom Corner Gas (2004-09). The cast, including Peterson, won a Gemini Award in 2007 for best ensemble performance. In 2008 he received the Award of Excellence from ACTRA Toronto and in 2009 he was honoured with the Earle Grey Award. He was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2010.

Eric Peterson continues to appear in Canadian television, in episodes of The Ron James Show (2009), Republic of Doyle (2010), Murdoch Mysteries (2010) and Dan for Mayor (2011).

Again, with John Gray on piano, Peterson stars in a filmed version of the acclaimed stage play Billy Bishop Goes to War (2011), whereas Bishop, now a senior citizen, he reminisces about his wartime accomplishments and experiences.

He is married to Annie Kidder.

*Appearing with the permission of Canadian Actors Equity Association.

TheatreOne celebrates 40 years with a spectacular new season of professional live performances.

Nanaimo’s very own professional theatre company, TheatreOne, is thrilled to announce our 40^th Anniversary season.  Founded in November 1983 as The Vancouver Island Shakespeare Festival Society, TheatreOne has brought over 250 professional productions to our community.

“As we approach our 40^th anniversary season, with a new strategic plan in place, TheatreOne is excited to offer programs that build on the very best of our past professional theatre performances and that will engage with more diverse communities over the next forty years”, said Graham Pike, TheatreOne’s President of the Board of Directors.

The 2023/24 season kicks off with the first show in our Just Kidding for Kids’ series, Through My Eyes, by Quebec dance company Bouge De La on Sunday, November 26^th at 2:00pm.  This spectacular explosion of colour, shape, and movement will keep your young theatre lovers totally entranced. An ode to the power of imagination, Through My Eyes stimulates the child’s senses and brings us back to one of the loveliest things about childhood: a tireless capacity for wonder.

The Just Kidding for Kids’ series continues with two more great performances – Penny Pom Pom on Sunday, March 10^th and a return of Dufflebag Theatre with their hilarious interactive retelling of Cinderella on April 13th. 

The Penny Pom Pom show is an exciting multimedia experience for young kids full of music, storytelling, and magic. Penny is a colourful ball of energy who embodies creative confidence and artistic freedom. Kids will sing and dance along to her catchy and original guitar-driven music about magic, creativity, nature, animals, and the seasons.

Dufflebag Theatre returns to Nanaimo for a single performance of Cinderella with all the familiar characters including the lovely Cinderella, a flitting fairy godmother, an ugly stepmother, a dedicated messenger, and of course, the handsome prince making appearances in this family friendly interactive version of the much-loved story. In this refreshing adaptation of the classic fairy tale, DuffleBag Theatre invites audience members into the show to play the main parts!

All Just Kidding for Kids performances will be held at the Malaspina Theatre (Vancouver Island University).  Tickets are available online through the TheatreOne website TheatreOne.ca .

The Mainstage Series Kicks off with a stunning new production of the Canadian classic musical Billy Bishop Goes to War. From feats of derring-do flying in the skies, to the horror of the trenches, through the halls of Buckingham Palace, to inside the human spirit, Billy Bishop Goes to War follows the incredible adventures of Canada’s greatest WWI flying ace. Damon Calderwood brings a fresh interpretation to one of Canada’s most enduring plays, making this musical full of humour, hellfire, and the boldness of an extraordinary career of this military hero. We join Billy Bishop as he reconciles the ecstasy of flying with the horrors of war.  The show runs December 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd, at the Malaspina Theatre.

In May, TheatreOne returns to our roots by producing the World Premiere performance of Jennifer Wynne Webber’s Wild Geese.  TheatreOne initially workshopped the show in 2019 as part of our ongoing efforts to support local British Columbia playwrights. Wild Geese is a moving and uplifting play about learning to follow your heart, even when it feels like you might be on a wild goose chase, and learning to love, even when people change beyond recognition — yourself included.  This heartfelt comedy will run May 15^th to 18^th at the Malaspina Theatre.

Tickets for the Mainstage series are available online through TheatreOne.ca

Finally, TheatreOne’s Emerging Voices series returns in the new year.  Emerging Voices is an annual series of workshops and public readings of three new, original plays by local and regional playwrights. Participating playwrights benefit from dramaturgical support before, during and after the workshops and have the opportunity to engage with professional artists during the workshops.  Ultimately their plays will be read before live audiences, and the playwrights will receive valuable feedback from actors and patrons.

Workshopped plays this year include Lily Chang’s Leila Roils the Seas (January 28^th), Olivia Etey’s Woman Against Gravity (February 11^th), and Brianna Bock’s Diving Bell (March 24^th).  The readings are by donation and will be held at 2:00 pm in The Port Theatre’s Harmac room.

David Mann, TheatreOne’s Artistic Director says “As we move into a new season, we are carrying forward our ongoing commitment to bringing the best in live performing arts – and especially theatre – to Nanaimo audiences of all ages. Whether produced locally or invited to our stage, our Just Kidding, Main Stage and Emerging Voices series are curated to bring artistic excellence to the community, to entertain, and to move hearts and minds.”

TheatreOne’s 40^th anniversary season is generously supported by the City of Nanaimo, Mid Island Co op, and The Province of British Columbia.

THROUGH MY EYES – Bouge de la

Through My Eyes begins as a dancer enters the stage and discovers a massive furry ball. Intrigued, they move toward it, carefully. As soon as they touch it the magic of the stage is unleashed: the lights go up, the scenery appears all around them, shadows play their tricks and transform one dancer into many dancers! Through My Eyes is an ode to the power of imagination. It stimulates a child’s senses and brings us back to one of the loveliest things about childhood: a tireless capacity for wonder.