Theatre Calgary’s upcoming season explores the journey of family

Playwright Matthew MacKenzie and wife Mariya Khomutova star in a new play about their love story, titled "First Metis Man of Odesa." (Alexis McKeown/Handout)

Theatre Calgary’s 2026-27 season will explore the journey of family.

Announced Tuesday, the season opens with the First Metis Man of Odesa, Matthew McKenzie and Mariya Khomutova’s drama, set against the backdrop of the pandemic and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which explores an unlikely love story that is performed by the playwrights themselves. Previews start Sept. 8.

Little Shop of Horrors -- the musical that bites back -- blends comedy, romance and rock and roll to tell the story of Seymour, a shop assistant with a houseplant unlike any other. Previews start Sept. 29.

True West is American playwright Sam Shepard’s dramedy about a pair of brothers, one a screenwriter and the other a petty crook, who reunite under unusual circumstances forcing each other to confront some uncomfortable truths about themselves. Previews start Feb. 2, 2027.

A new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense & Sensibility tells the story of the Dashwood sisters as they scramble to make their way in society after being left with nothing. Previews start March 30, 2027.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong, from the creators of The Play That Goes Wrong, tells the story of an ill-fated production of Peter Pan put on by the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society. It’s a laugh-filled comedy of errors. Previews start May 25, 2027.

And A Christmas Carol is back, telling the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge and his search for the true meaning of Christmas, in an adaptation by Geoffrey Simon Brown. Previews start Nov. 26.

“This season invites our audiences to see themselves reflected onstage: in the laughter, fractures, reunions, and redemptions that define what it means to belong,” says Arima.

“At the heart of every season is one powerful through-line. This year it happens to be: family — the ones who raise us, the ones who challenge us, the ones we choose, and the ones we hold onto even when the world around us shifts in unimaginable ways."

For more information, go here.