The Vancouver Playhouse is a theatre venue in downtown Vancouver, BC. Operated by Vancouver Civic Theatres, it’s located next to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Lots of plays and concerts happen at the Vancouver Playhouse. Continue reading to learn more about this venue.
Vancouver Playhouse Theatre
The Vancouver Playhouse is a small to medium-sized theatre located at 600 Hamilton Street in Vancouver. It’s an intimate venue that hosts a variety of shows throughout the year. The building’s design is particularly good for sound, meaning it’s a popular place for concerts and spoken theatre performances.
Constructed in 1962, the Vancouver Playhouse is a multi-level facility with 668 regular seats plus five extra spots for wheelchairs. The Orchestra level is closest to the stage. Rows are split into three sections named Left, Right and Centre. There’s also a balcony level upstairs with additional seats along the sides.
The venue is one of five places managed by Vancouver Civic Theatres which is owned and operated by the City of Vancouver. The other facilities are the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Orpheum Theatre, the ANNEX and šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn (which is the outdoor plaza in front of Queen Elizabeth Theatre).
National Geographic Live Speaker Series
The Vancouver Playhouse also hosts the National Geographic Live Speaker Series. There are three different talks happening on three different days. Each talk is offered once in the morning for students in grades 1 to 8. The talks also take place at night for other ages.
The series kicked off on October 9th in 2024. The talk that day was Life on Thin Ice with Photographer Kiliii Yüyan. The second show takes place on February 12th in 2025. It’s Wild Wolves of Yellowstone with Wildlife Biologist Doug Smith. The third and final talk in the series is The Untold Story of Sharks with Shark Researcher Dr. Jess Cramp. It takes place on April 2nd in 2025.
Tickets cost between about $35 and $60 per talk. There’s also a Meet & Greet available after each show.
To learn more about these films, and other films at the Vancouver Playhouse, see our article about Vancouver Civic Theatres.
Other Information
For more information about the Vancouver Playhouse, visit vancouvercivictheatres.com.
To learn more about the organization that manages the Vancouver Playhouse and other local theatres, see our article about Vancouver Civic Theatres.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Queen Elizabeth Theatre
- The Orpheum Theatre
- Vancouver Theatre Companies and Venues
- Shows and Entertainment in Vancouver
