waiting in the wings

Planning ahead? Here's what's coming up!
 

Educator group bookings for 2023/24 are currently open. Booking for 2024/25 opens on June 4, 2024. You will be able to reserve tickets for your estimated number of students, then make adjustments in fall of 2024 when you have your class lists. Reservations will be processed and seats or waitlist spots allocated in the order recieved. 

For now, check out our show offerings, student matinee times, and topics, and make your plans! We have provided rough run time estimates based on other theatres, but they are not set in stone. Once each show has begun rehearsals we will have a better idea of their length.
All productions will have performances on weeknights at 7:30 PM, at least one 2:00 matinee, and weekend shows. Some productions will also have performances at 11:30 AM for students only.

MTC tries to provide any applicable content overviews and warnings in advance, but these are subject to change at the Director's discretion during each rehearsal process.

Mainstage Season 23/24 | Warehouse Season 23/24 | Mainstage Season 24/25 | Warehouse Season 24/25
 

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23/24 MAINSTAGE SEASON

   

THE COMEBACK

By Trish Cooper & Sam Vint
Directed by Eric Coates
APR 24–MAY 18, 2024 / Student Matinee 11:30 May 16 - waitlist open

When Jesse falls for Adam, neither have any idea what the future holds. But when they get pregnant, they must navigate the awkward and sometimes hilarious relationship between their Métis and settler families. A comedy about love and what it means to be family.
Topics:  Métis identity, family, love, culture clash, comedy
Recommended for grade 10 and up (Strong language. Mature content: sex, alcohol, legacy of colonialism, racism, and Day School system)
Unofficial run time estimate: 2 hours 20 minutes including intermission

 

24/25 Mainstage Season

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG

By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields
Directed by Dennis Garnhum
A co-production with Citadel Theatre & Theatre Calgary
Oct 16-Nov 9, 2024 / Student Matinee 11:30 Oct 31 & Nov 7

If your class loved Clue, then The Play That Goes Wrong is the right choice for you! Despite their spotty track record, the Cornley Drama Society has high hopes for their new production. "The Murder at Haversham Manor" should be a real crowd pleaser - who doesn’t love a mystery set in a grand house? But if you believe this show will go off without a hitch, you’d be dead wrong. Thwarted by missing props, a malfunctioning set and some questionable acting choices, this ill-fated production unravels at an alarming rate. By the end of the show, solving a murder is the least of everyone’s worries. 
Topics: Comedy, theatre-making, mystery
Recommended for grade 6 and up (mild rude humour, cartoonish violence, infidelity)
Unofficial run time estimate: Approximately 2 hours 10 minutes including intermission.
 

LITTLE WOMEN

Based on the books Little Women & Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott
Adapted for the stage by Jordi Mand
Directed by Katie German
Nov 20 – Dec 14, 2024 / Student Matinees 11:30 Dec 5 & 12

In 1860s Massachusetts, Jo March and her sisters struggle to make ends meet as their father serves in the Civil War. While Marmee bestows the virtue of self-sacrifice on her daughters, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy must learn to navigate the complicated and exciting world of adulthood – discovering the path of who they each truly are. Filled with adventure, heartbreak and a deep sense of hope, the tale of these sisters has inspired generations of independent young women to trust their voice in a world trying to shape them. With buoyant and memorable characters, this is a new adaptation of a timeless classic.
Topics: Growth, family, goals and dreams, hope, gender roles, classic literature adaptation
Recommended for grade 6 and up (No strong language; discussion of war, death; run time should be considered in booking.)
Unofficial run time estimate: Approximately 2 hours 40 minutes including intermission.
 

WAITRESS

Book by Jessie Nelson | Music & Lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Based upon the motion picture written by Adrienne Shelly
Directed by Ann Hodges
Jan 7-Feb 1, 2025 / Student Matinee 11:30 ​Jan 30

Jenna is a small-town waitress who puts all her passion into incredible pie-baking. When she finds herself pregnant in a dead-end relationship with her no-good husband, and falling fast for her quirky new OB/GYN, she realizes she must address her life, and find her true self in a world that has been passing her by. A baking contest is announced in a nearby county could be the opportunity for a fresh start, but forging a path isn’t as simple as mixing ingredients. With the support of her fellow waitresses, and one curmudgeonly regular, Jenna finds the strength to find herself in this this Broadway hit musical.
Topics: Community, friendship, decisions, chosen family, empowerment, musical
Recommended for grade 10 and up (Strong language; suggestive jokes, open talk about sex, infidelity, unplanned pregnancy)
Unofficial run time estimate: Approximately 2 hours 40 minutes including intermission.

INDECENT

By Paula Vogel
Directed by Kelly Thornton
Feb 12-Mar 8, 2025 / Student Matinee 11:30 Mar 6

A play about real, dramatic history from Pulitzer Prize winner Paula Vogel. In 1906, Polish-Jewish writer Sholem Asch pens The God of Venegence in Yiddish, about the love between a prostitute and the daughter of the brothel's owner. Despite initial reactions to the lesbian storyline, and fears that the script would give people an excuse to be antisemitic, the play's portrayals of love and conflict make it a success in Europe. In 1923 New York though, the cast and producers struggle with cultural assimilation and language, and the English translation is recieved very differently: the entire team is arrested for obscenity. Against the backdrop of Europe's descent into the Holocaust, stage manager Lemml takes the script back home to where it was once celebrated. 
Indecent explores love, artistic censorship, and the power of theatre with music, song, dance, and even comedy while connecting to our past and present in a poignant and powerful way.
Topics: Based on historical events, immigration, artistic censorship, queer representation, antisemitism, power of art, acceptance, intolerance, persecution
Recommended for grade 10 and up (mention of brothels and prostitution, lesbian relationships referenced as wrong, depictions of antisemitism and reference to death and destruction of Jewish people, references to sex)
Unofficial run time estimate: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes, no intermission.
 

CASEY AND DIANA

By Nick Green
Directed by Andrew Kushnir
A co-production with Theatre Aquarius
Mar 19-Apr 12, 2025 / Student Matinee 11:30 ​Apr 10

Thomas wasn’t planning to be at Casey House much longer but an upcoming visit from Princess Diana gives him reason to stick around and rally the other residents to hang on - for just seven more days. But in hospice, a week is a long time. Thomas entertains with gallows humour, his roommate frets about unfinished business and they both struggle with family relationships. Inspired by Princess Diana’s historic visit to Toronto’s Casey House in 1991, Casey and Diana is a moving and surprisingly funny portrait of the men at the heart of the AIDS crisis, their devoted caregivers, and the ‘People’s Princess’ who had the the compassion to hold their hands when no one else would. 
Topics: Compassion, community, LGBTQ+ life, dignity, stigma, AIDS
Recommended for grade 9 and up (Strong language; the AIDS crisis, death and dying)
Unofficial run time estimate: Approximately 2 hours 40 minutes including intermission.

 

ELEVATE: Manaajii ' idiwin  

By David McLeod
Directed by Herbie Barnes
Apr 23-May 17, 2025

What happens when your elevator gets stuck on the way to a high-profile meeting? That is just what Jonesie and Tallahassee are about to find out! As tempers rise, the space shrinks and becomes a pressure cooker as the men struggle to get it back up and running. Told with hilarious hijinks, the two attempt a series of adventurous escapes, and through these mishaps, a brutal and bitingly funny conversation about power emerges.  As this is a world premiere, more information relevant to educators will be communicated as it's discovered!
Topics: Judgement, prejudice, bias, hard truths, Indigenous play, comedy
Recommended for grade 10 and up (Strong language; racism)
Unofficial run time estimate: World premiere, unknown at this point!

24/25 Warehouse Season

THE RECIPE

By Armin Wiebe
Directed by Ardith Boxall
A co-production with Theatre Projects Manitoba
Nov 6-23, 2024

After a whirlwind romance, Oata sets her sights – and her heart – on life with Yasch, until he reveals his obsession with skinny Sadie Nickel. Tired of being overlooked and busy running her family’s farm, Oata wants nothing to do with either of them. But when Sadie arrives at her door, distraught and in desperate need of help, Oata must wrestle with the power of choice. As she reluctantly agrees to assist Sadie with the help of a special family recipe, Oata discovers the power of female friendship and reassesses her own abundant assets. Does Oata need pants with a man in them to run a farm?
Topics: Prairie Gothic, independence, choice, women supporting women
Recommended for grade 11 and up (Mature themes; abortion, anti-fat sentiment)
Unofficial run time estimate: World premiere, unknown at this point!
 

MIX TAPES FROM MY MOM

Written & performed by Cory Wojcik
Featuring a live band
Directed by Trish Cooper
Jan 29-Feb 15, 2025

It was the best, worst day of his life. Winnipeg theatre veteran Cory Wojcik, backed by a band of incredible musicians, shares a deeply personal story of the day he travelled back and forth between two hospitals, for two very different reasons. A rocking soundtrack paired with a story so unbelievable it could only be true, Mix Tapes From My Mom is a testament to the love of family, and the ways we are able to share it. It’s a concert. It’s a show. It's real.
Topics: Music, family, memory, loss, storytelling
Recommended for grade 10 and up (Strong language; content may be appropriate for younger viewers but may not resonate with them)
Unofficial run time estimate: 1 hour 50 minutes including intermission.

KING JAMES

By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by Ray Strachan
Mar 5-22, 2025

Matt's been going to Cleveland Cavaliers games since he was six, so having to sell his season tickets to someone he's never met to make some cash is like giving a piece of his heart away. To add insult to injury, the Cavs are showing promise with LeBron ‘King’ James now holding court. But Matt and Shawn become fast friends. As the team’s fortunes rise and fall, they go through their own highs and lows. At the end of the day, they’ll never agree on Jordan vs. LeBron but they’re diehard fans and tight as brothers. If one of them goes out of bounds with something they say, they’ll always bounce back – right? An exploration of a deep friendship told in four quarters over 12 years.
Topics: Friendship, life lessons, self-discove​ry
Recommended for grade 10 and up (Strong language; content may be appropriate for younger viewer but may not resonate with them)
Unofficial run time estimate: 2 hours including intermission

MURDER FOR TWO

Book & Music by Joe Kinosian | Book & Lyrics by Kellen Blair
Directed by Chase Winnicky
Apr 2-19, 2025 / Student Matinee 11:30 Apr 16

A high-energy musical whodunit, Murder for Two is a blend of classical musical comedy and a murder mystery with a twist, where two actors play a dozen different characters - and a piano. Marcus Moscowicz is small town police officer and an aspiring detective. Moments before the surprise birthday party for renowned author Arthur Whitney, shots are fired, and the writer is killed! Marcus seizes the opportunity to showcase his sleuthing, with the assistance of his silent partner Lou. Now, the question remains: with a collection of wildly unhelpful (and just plain wild) suspects, who could be the culprit?
Topics: Mystery, music, vaudeville, theatricality
Recommended for grade 9 and up (Strong language; crass humour, anti-fat sentiment, suggestive jokes, cartoonish violence)
Unofficial run time estimate: 1 hour 40 minutes, no intermission