Burnaby boasts a small but vibrant theatre and performing arts scene, featuring everything from Broadway musicals to symphony performances to Asian opera.
Shadbolt Centre for the Arts
The Shadbolt Centre for the Arts (6450 Deer Lake Ave.) is a multi-purpose facility that overlooks the lake in Deer Lake Park. Its huge, curved wooden roof atop a spacious 311-square-metre (3,350-square-foot) atrium makes it a Burnaby architectural landmark. Central to the Burnaby arts scene, the Shadbolt Centre includes the 285-seat James Cowan Theatre, which has excellent sightlines, and the smaller Studio Theatre. Check out productions of The Barber of Seville or Titanic: The Musical, or performances by local dance students. Also on site are dance studios, pottery studios, an art store, a café and more.
Michael J. Fox Theatre
Burnaby native Michael J. Fox sprang to fame as a Hollywood actor in the 1980s (Family Ties, Back to the Future), and he's perpetuating his legacy at this 613-seat, wheelchair-accessible roadhouse theatre attached to Burnaby South Secondary School. The Michael J. Fox Theatre (7373 MacPherson Ave.) was built in 1993, took the actor's name in 1995, and now hosts a whopping 400 performances a year. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Vancouver Metro Orchestra play here, and ballet and professional dance shows are also popular. As well, the theatre has become one of the top venues for Cantonese opera outside Hong Kong. A dramatic two-storey mural graces the lobby, which also displays a small amount of Michael J. Fox memorabilia.
SFU Theatre
Located atop Burnaby Mountain, the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Theatre (8888 University Drive) is a 445-seat venue that stages various performances by the School for the Contemporary Arts. The companion Studio II theatre has 60 seats and focuses on smaller student productions. Offerings at the SFU Theatre range from ballet (Relache by Erik Satie) to classically inspired modern drama (Harmonia by Ned Dickens). The School for the Contemporary Arts is slated to relocate to downtown Vancouver in late 2009.