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Vancouver’s Firehall Arts Centre

Firehall Arts Centre Theatre

Located in a 1906 heritage fire station in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, the Firehall Arts Centre hosts theatre, dance and other performing arts shows.

 

VENUE SHOWS AND COVID-19

Last year the Firehall hosted their Music in the Courtyard series from July 30th to September 5th. After a long time with few in-person shows, there are five scheduled to take place in 2022 as of February. Until the province loosens their health guidelines for indoor venues, the shows will operate at 50% capacity.

For the most up-to-date information about the status of the venue see the Firehall Arts Centre website.

To see more events and attractions that have been affected click Vancouver COVID-19 Updates.

 

Firehall Arts Centre

The Firehall Arts Centre is a community arts facility that features a 136 to 174-seat studio theatre. The venue hosts dozens of eclectic performances each month as well as a range of visual arts exhibitions in its small gallery/lounge.

The heritage building itself is a restored turn-of-the-century fire station that was once the first motorized fire hall on the continent.

The tiny theatre is a bit rustic and simple, but also comfortable and charming in its own way. With only seven rows of seating, you are guaranteed a fabulous view of the stage!

 

Firehall Arts Centre

 

Where is the Firehall Arts Centre

The Firehall Arts Centre’s address is 280 East Cordova Street which is just a couple of blocks north of Vancouver’s historic Chinatown and next door to the Vancouver Police Museum. It’s also just a few steps away from Sunrise Market which, at 300 Powell Street, is one of Vancouver’s most affordable fruit stands.

 

The 2022 Season

As of the beginning of February there is one shows available to watch at the Firehall and it’s an online stream. The show is John, a memoir of a Vancouver man who disappeared without a trace in 1969. The performance is available to watch on demand until March 1st.

Beginning at the end of February, there are five shows set to take the stage for in-person performances this year. They are as follows:

  • Mary’s Wedding (February 25th to March 13th, 2022): an award-winning romantic play about two young adults who have to take shelter in a barn during a fierce storm.
  • White Noise (April 16th to May 1st, 2022): a comedic show that tackles the subject of internalized racism and reconciliation.
  • Yellow Fever (May 14th to 18th, 2022): a detective story set in the post-war age here in Vancouver.
  • Courage Now (June 7th to 19th, 2022): the world premiere of this story about the Japanese Consul Chiune Sugihara who helped thousands of Jews escape the Holocaust during the Second World War.
  • FADO – The Saddest Music in the World (Fall, dates TBC): originally set for January but postponed, this show about a Portuguese woman confronting the darkness of her country’s past returns to the Firehall for a second time.

 

Music in the Courtyard

A collaboration with the Vancouver Independent Music Centre, Music in the Courtyard is a summertime outdoor concert series. There were over 20 shows from July 20th to September 5th, 2021, all held in the courtyard at the Firehall.

All the shows cost between $20 to $40 depending on the artist. There was also a limit of 50 people for each performance in order to stay safe with COVID health and safety guidelines.

Below was the show schedule for the 2021 series.

 

Week of July 26th to August 1st, 2021

 

Week of August 2nd to 8th, 2021

 

Week of August 9th to 15th, 2021

 

Tonye Aganaba in Concert
Tonye Aganaba

 

Week of August 16th to 22nd, 2021

 

Week of August 23rd to 29th, 2021

 

Week of August 30th to September 5th, 2021

 

2021 Fort Langley Jazz Festival

 

JAZZ IN FORT LANGLEY

If you like live music, then also be sure to check out the Odlum Brown Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival in September.

Bands performing in 2021 included Jim Byrnes, Dee Daniels, Daniel Hersog, Dawn Pemberton, XL The Band, Big City Soul and others. The 2021 festival took place in both in-person and online formats.

 

Other Information

For more details about the facility and its shows, see the Firehall Arts Centre website.

For information on other theatre venues in the Lower Mainland, click Vancouver Theatres.

And for a list of upcoming shows in Metro Vancouver, see the Shows & Entertainment Calendar.

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