London’s Grand Theatre announces 2024-25 season
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of the Grand Theatre.
London’s Grand Theatre has announced its next season, featuring an exciting slate of co-productions with theatres across the country, as well as multiple blockbuster musicals.
“The Grand’s 2024-25 Season is about moments where joy, where play, bring about real change in the world. How humour can make us look at ourselves, and each other, in a new light. Some fresh looks on familiar stories, and some new stories that feel like something we know,” new artistic director Rachel Peake shared in a press release.
“With this season, my first season of programming as artistic director of the Grand, I wanted to share stories of human connection in many different times and spaces. And we are proudly continuing to produce exceptional Canadian theatre here in downtown London that will carry on from the Grand to stages in Edmonton, Hamilton, and Ottawa.”
Subscriptions for the 2024-25 season are now on sale. More information about the Grand’s 2024-25 season and ancillary programming are available on the Grand’s website.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical
Book by Dennis Kelly
Music and lyrics by Tim Minchin
Directed by Megan Watson
September 17-29, 2024
The Grand opens its next season with a presentation of the High School Project’s production of Matilda, based on the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl. Former Grand artistic director Megan Watson directs, with past Grand productions including A Christmas Carol and Mary Poppins.
As You Like It
Written by William Shakespeare
Adapted and directed by Daryl Cloran
Conceived by Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival and Daryl Cloran
October 15 – November 2, 2024
This As You Like It reimagines Shakespeare’s rom-com in Canada’s Okanagan Valley in the 1960s, featuring music by the Beatles and psychedelic aesthetics. Following acclaimed performances in Washington, Chicago, and Vancouver, the Grand will host the Ontario premiere of this groovy take on As You Like It.
The Sound of Music
Suggested by The Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse
Directed by Rachel Peake
November 19 – December 22, 2024
The Grand’s coveted holiday slot will be filled by The Sound of Music, in an exciting production helmed by Peake. For the eighth consecutive year, the Grand will fundraise for the London Food Bank in conjunction with its family-friendly Christmastime show.
Heist
Written by Arun Lakra
Co-production with the Citadel Theatre
January 14 – February 1, 2025
Inspired by Ocean’s Eleven, this action adventure is filled with stunts and high-tech crime-fighting. Written by Calgary screenwriter, playwright, and ophthalmologist Lakra, this Ontario premiere of Heist promises to evoke the sorts of high stakes and surprising twists usually only seen in movies.
The Secret to Good Tea
Written by Rosanna Deerchild
Directed by Renae Morriseau
Co-production with the National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre
February 18 – March 8, 2025
A local radio host and her mother tackle the challenge of breaking down the walls that have emerged between them over time. Over a pot of steaming hot tea, Maggie and Gwynn uncover their stories in a journey of laughter and understanding, exploring the tender, unique bond between mother and daughter. Following its premiere in Manitoba, the Grand will host the Ontario premiere of The Secret to Good Tea, in a co-production with National Arts Centre Indigenous Theatre.
Waitress
Music and lyrics by Sara Bareilles
Book by Jessie Nelson
Based on the motion picture by Adrienne Shelly
Directed by Rachel Peake
Co-production with Theatre Aquarius
March 25 – April 12, 2025
The fan-favourite musical by pop darling Sara Bareilles comes to southwestern Ontario in this thrilling co-production between the Grand and Theatre Aquarius. A story of love, loss, and the healing powers of pie, Waitress is a touching story of friendship and self-love, helmed here by Peake.
Pride and Prejudice
Written by Kate Hamill
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
Directed by Rebecca Northan
April 29 – May 17, 2025
A new take on Jane Austen’s beloved novel comes to the Grand Theatre’s Spriet Stage next spring, in a laugh-out-loud adaptation directed by Rebecca Northan that preserves the love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, but amps up the comedy tenfold.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's former senior editor and the theatre reporter for the Globe and Mail. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
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iPhoto caption: Photo by Aisling Murphy.
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