Presentation House Theatre marks 50 years on the North Shore

Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver is celebrating 50 years as a cultural anchor for the North Shore with an expanded season and a new slate of original holiday productions.

The theatre originally opened in 1976 as a museum and gallery space. Community fundraising efforts led to the opening of the theatre portion the following year. Over decades, the building has served independent artists for rehearsal and performance, while also hosting yoga classes, workshops, events, and graduations.

"There's just this real need for this small but really vital community space to participate in art, which is so fundamentally important to building civil society and making civil life, and telling our stories about who we are and who we want to be to each other," said Keltie Forsyth, the theatre's artistic director.

In 2012, under former artistic director Kim Selody, the organization shifted focus toward high-quality theatre for children and families through its Theatre for Young Audiences programming. Forsyth has expanded that work, now offering summer camps, education programs, storytelling workshops in schools, and a Black History Matters program teaching anti-racism to kids. "We are learning increasingly how important access to artwork is for children," Forsyth said, citing studies showing that art access increases children's empathy, self-confidence, and social skills.

For the 50-year celebration, PHT is launching original holiday productions it hopes will become annual traditions for North Shore families. The first, an original adaptation of The Sword in the Stone based on T.H. White's book, will debut in December. "I literally just had actors bring me to tears just auditioning," Forsyth said. "We've really emphasized bringing as many North Shore artists into that process as possible."

A stacked season kicks off in September. Tickets and registration for both season shows and summer camps and workshops are available online at phttheatre.org.