2024 Chutzpah Festival

The Chutzpah Festival is a performing arts festival hosted by the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver at the Norman Rothstein Theatre each year.

In 2024 there are shows running from November 1st to 10th at various venues in Vancouver.

For the event’s official website, click Vancouver Chutzpah Festival.

This article contains the following information about the Chutzpah Festival:

Cabaret Yitesh (Photo by Shendl Ashkenaz)

The Chutzpah! Festival in Vancouver

Pronounced with a silent “C” and featuring theatre, music and dance, the Chutzpah Festival used to take place between mid-February and mid-March. Beginning in 2019, however, its dates shifted from the spring season to the fall.

Last year the festival ran for three weeks from Thursday, November 2nd, until Thursday, November 23rd. In 2024 it runs from Friday, November 1st, until Sunday, November 10th.

Chutzpah Festival Location

Chutzpah Festival performances take place primarily at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver’s 318-seat Norman Rothstein Theatre.

The Norman Rothstein Theatre is located at 950 West 41st Avenue in Vancouver.

For tickets and full details, see the Vancouver Chutzpah Festival website.

Vancouver Jewish Community Centre — Norman Rothstein Theatre

About the Chutzpah Festival

The Chutzpah Festival draws talented musicians, comedians, dancers and actors from around the world including from Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States.

This year, ticket prices range from around $20 to $40 depending on the show.

The Main Festival

Comedy, dance, music, theatre and multi-disciplinary performances from this year’s season are listed below. In addition to the staged events, there are also various workshops for families to enjoy.

Comedy Performances

The list of Chutzpah Festival comedy shows in 2024 is as follows:

Jacob Samuel: Big Talk – a Juno-award winning comedian from Vancouver, Jacob Samuel takes to the stage at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre on November 1st. He’s also performing at China Cloud Studio on November 9th.

Dance Performances

Dance performances at the Chutzpah Festival in 2024 include the following:

Dance Double Bill – Chutzpah Festival veterans Rebecca Margolick and Livona Ellis perform once again in a double bill performance. They perform on both November 8th and 9th at the Scotiabank Dance Centre.

Musical Performances

Concerts and musical performances at the Chutzpah Festival in 2024 include the following:

Kommuna Lux – performed in partnership with Caravan World Rhythms, November 2nd is a night of Ukrainian klezmer music with the group Kommuna Lux. The concert is at The Pearl in downtown Vancouver.
Yamma Ensemble – the Yamma Ensemble is a group of five singers who have toured the globe singing Hebrew and Jewish music. They perform at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre on November 4th and 5th.
Mark Rubin: Jew of Oklahoma – a veteran of the music industry, Mark Rubin has performed for over four decades. He dips into all sorts of genres include country, swing, polka, klezmer and more. He performs on November 6th at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre.

For tickets and the event’s official website, click Vancouver Chutzpah Festival.

Mark Rubin at Chutzpah Festival — Mark Rubin (Photos by George Brainard)

Theatre and Multi-Disciplinary

Theatre and multi-disciplinary performances at the Chutzpah Festival in 2024 include the following:

Truth to Power Café – the Canadian premiere of this multimedia theatre production that uses film, music, poetry and other mediums. It plays at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre on November 3rd.
Gimpel the Fool Returns to Poland – presented in partnership with the Vancouver Jewish Film Festival, this documentary screening follows the journey of the stage production Gimpel the Fool, an award-winning Israeli show. The screening is on November 4th at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre.
The Last Night at the Cabaret Yitesh – a modern homage to Yiddish theatre from the 1930s, this show features cabaret songs, vaudeville acts and original comedy sketches. There are two shows at the Norman & Annette Rothstein Theatre on November 9th and 10th.