Surrey-based Pivot Theatre is on the move to Vancouver after staging some award-winning productions here over the past four years.
The theatre company, founded in 2021 by Margaret Shearman and others, will now be based in East Vancouver, at 1422 William St.
"As of September 1st, Pivot will become a resident company at Progress Lab 1422, a shared creation and performance space that's home to eight other artistic companies," . "We are beyond excited, and can't wait to see you there!"
In Surrey, Pivot has staged plays at Bethany Newton United Church and Newton Cultural Centre in recent years. , an acclaimed comedy/drama about a feisty Alzheimer鈥檚 patient who doesn鈥檛 want to move into a nursing facility. The company has also earned awards for its about gay couples posing straight, among others.
Pivot Theatre 鈥渃elebrates our community鈥檚 diversity by presenting a wide range of content and shows,鈥� according to . 鈥淲e welcome everyone to join us and explore the arts in a safer place.鈥�
Shearman says she was left all things theatre, including Pivot Theatre, for health reasons.
"When I founded Pivot Theatre in 2021, it was with the idea to prove to the theatre community that quality performances can be done while respecting and supporting the people who are involved," she wrote in an email to the Now-Leader.
"I have not been following this ideal for myself, and I urge you all to make sure that you respect and support not only each other, but yourselves as well. I am so grateful that you all for believing in what Pivot Theatre stands for, and for the time and effort you are putting in to make it happen. I have learned so much from you, and I am so much a better person because of it."
On Facebook, Pivot members thanked Shearman for her work to launch the company.
"Seeing a vacuum after Surrey Little Theatre's move to 黑马磁力 in 2020, Margaret hatched an idea to create a new community theatre 鈥� one that was inclusive, innovative, and full of heart. That idea, with the help of a few friends, became Pivot Theatre.
"In the years since, Pivot Theatre has become a home to a zany array of artists, brought together by Margaret's vision of a safer place to create. She assembled a ragtag group to mount Pivot's first production, My Blue Heaven, which then became the start of a juggernaut: eight full productions, four staged readings, three visits to TheatreBC's Mainstage Festival, and more awards than we ever thought possible."
"After five years, Margaret retired from the theatre this past May. There are not enough words in the world to describe our love for her, and our gratitude for starting an organization that we couldn't imagine being without. Thank you, Margaret, from the bottom of our hearts."
Meantime, Pivot is looking for someone to direct the company's first performance in its new space, an annual Halloween staged reading, Oct. 25-26 at Progress Lab in East Vancouver. "Whether you've got a show to pitch, or if you're interested and don't have a script, send us a note at hq@pivottheatre.ca by August 15th," says .
