WCT releases 50th anniversary schedule; new artistic director introduced

“This is a time of both literal and metaphorical growth for WCT,” Eger added. “We’re reinvigorating what has always made us strong: our steadfast commitment to Canadian theatre, new work, Indigenous stories and art that moves, challenges and inspires.”

Founded by Tom Kerr, and a small group of passionate students and fellow actors, what is now called Western Canada Theatre is the largest professional theatre company between Vancouver and Calgary.

“The “Western Canada Theatre Company” went on to delight and inspire generations of Kamloopsians and some have held season subscriptions for over 45 years,” a WCT statement said. “It’s a true “unicorn” in the Canadian Theatre landscape.”

New Artistic Director Named

Joining Eger at the helm of Western Canada Theatre is Kelli Fox, who who hired following a nationwide search. Fox, the younger sister of actor Michael J. Fox, will succeed James MacDonald who departed earlier this year.

WCT Board President Chrystie Stewart says the search for MacDonald’s successor brought in applications from a number of candidates, including some international candidates.

“We were thrilled and humbled with the volume and quality of the interested directors. Since it is our mandate to support Canadian talent, we shortlisted accordingly,” Stewart said, in a statement.

“The top two candidates were [then] invited to travel to Kamloops for a series of in-person interviews and to present to WCT staff and stakeholders [and we picked the candidate] who is clearly one of the best and brightest light talents in the fabric of Canadian theatre.”

Fox previously worked for many seasons at the Shaw and Stratford festivals, and at various Canadian and US companies including Soulpepper, The Globe Theatre, The Blythe Festival, Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, and the Arts Club Theatre Company.

She also spent some time at WCT in 1993, when she acted in a production of Hunter of Peace. In 2016, Fox was the recipient of the Gina Wilkinson Prize that recognized emerging directors transitioning mid-career.

“Kelli brings grounded energy, deep passion and decades of experience from across the country. With her guidance, we are poised for an exciting future,” Eger said.

Fox will begin in her role part-time because of a previous directing commitment in August and September at Coal Mine Theatre in Toronto. She will be relocating to Kamloops in the coming months.

“I am so happy and excited to be joining the team at WCT in time for the 50th Anniversary Season,” said Fox, in a statement. “There are a lot of exciting plans already underway, and I am looking forward to diving right in.”

“I plan to spend this first year immersing myself in the cultural life here. Kamloops has such a thriving creative scene that I’m dying to get to know better.”

Kelli Fox. (Image Credit: WCT release via David Cooper)

50th Anniversary Season Details

Of note this year will be a production of Anne of Green Gables – The Musical, an adaptation of the novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery, which was also featured in the 1975 season. WCT says Valerie Easton — who played Anne in that 1975 production — is returning as choreographer.

Prior to that, WCT season will begin with Women of the Fur Trade, an irreverent comedic take on a history typically dominated by men.

It will then kick off 2026 with a production of Casey and Diana, that will feature Eger in his directoral debut at WCT after he joined the company last year.

Next up is a comedic play from former Kamloopsian Holly Lewis called The Fiancée, that will feature mistaken identities, slamming doors and a cast of wild characters. Lewis, who is married to former WCT Artistic Director Daryl Cloran, previously appeared as an actor in Educating Rita and Miss Caledonia.

Closing out the Sagebrush Series is an aptly named play The Golden Anniversaries, a comedy about family from Mark Crawford, who also wrote The New Canadian Curling Club and The Birds and the Bees.

The upcoming season will also feature two plays as part of the Pavilion Series — Benevolence, a one-person performance about belonging, culture and the Hakka Chinese people in March next year.

The season will close out with a Wolf Cull, by Kamloops raised Cheyenne Scott, who previously appeared at WCT in The Drowning Girls and Children of God, and worked part-time as Artistic Associate last season.

That play, billed as a transformative Indigenous thriller, was workshopped last season and will be premiered at Pavilion Theatre in April 2026.

In addition, WCT will host a series of special events as part of its 50th anniversary season, including parking lot parties, an LGBTQ+ gathering, the return of the family Halloween Dance and the popular Women’s Day Cabaret.

Its festivities will culminate with a one-night-only, ’70s-themed fundraising event at the Sagebrush Theatre called Breaking Ground: 50 Years of WCT. The event will feature performances by WCT favourites singing selections from past productions.

“It’s a big year and it feels like an auspicious time to land because there is an energy behind the season that is already special before I even get here and have to do anything,” Fox told CFJC. “There is already a momentum behind this season because people are really excited about what Kamloops achieved in keeping this company alive and the way that its grown.”

Season subscriptions and Flex Passes for the 2025/26 season go on sale Friday (May 30), with single ticket sales starting Aug. 5. More information about tickets can be found here.

More details about the 2025/26 season, including a list of show dates, can be found here.

by Victor Kaisar

WCT releases 50th anniversary schedule; new artistic director introduced

New Artistic Director Named

50th Anniversary Season Details

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