Studio 58
Theatre school in Vancouver, British Columbia
title: "Studio 58" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["education-in-vancouver", "drama-schools-in-canada", "theatre-companies-in-british-columbia", "theatre-in-vancouver", "langara-college"] description: "Theatre school in Vancouver, British Columbia" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_58" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Theatre school in Vancouver, British Columbia ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox university"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Studio 58 |
| former_names | Arts program, Vancouver City College (1965 - 1970) |
| image | [[File:Studio_58_Logo.jpg |
| established | |
| type | Public |
| administrative_staff | 5 |
| faculty | 18 |
| head_label | Artistic Director |
| head | Raes Calvert and Stephanie Elgersma (Interim) |
| students | Approx. 75 |
| city | Vancouver |
| province | British Columbia |
| country | Canada |
| coor | |
| campus | Vancouver (Urban) |
| colours | Black |
| White | |
| nickname | Studio |
| affiliations | ACCC |
| website | https://langara.ca/studio-58 |
| :: |
| name = Studio 58 | native_name = | latin_name = | former_names = Arts program, Vancouver City College (1965 - 1970) | image = [[File:Studio_58_Logo.jpg|250px]] | motto = | established = | type = Public | endowment = | administrative_staff = 5 | faculty = 18 | president = | provost = | principal = | rector = | chancellor = | vice_chancellor = | dean = | head_label = Artistic Director | head = Raes Calvert and Stephanie Elgersma (Interim) | students = Approx. 75 | undergrad = | postgrad = | doctoral = | city = Vancouver | province = British Columbia | country = Canada | coor = | campus = Vancouver (Urban) | free_label = | free = | colours = Black White | athletics = | nickname = Studio | mascot = | affiliations = ACCC | website = https://langara.ca/studio-58 | logo =
Studio 58 is the professional theatre training school at Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia. The school offers a three-year diploma program for acting students and a three-year diploma program for production students. It is regarded as one of the top theatre schools in Canada and the only conservatory-style theatre training program in Western Canada.
The school auditions hundreds of people across Canada with sixteen accepted per semester (there are intakes in both fall and spring). Studio 58 operates a small theatre and presents 4 full-length productions annually as well as a smaller presentation of a student devised show, called Risky Nights. Professional directors and designers are hired to work on each production, and occasionally guest performing artists. Studio 58 productions are open to the public and reviewed by the Vancouver media.
History
The school was founded in 1965 as a small theatre arts course first held on the King Edward Campus of Vancouver City College, now Vancouver Community College. Led by Antony Holland, the course grew into a full program. In 1970 the program moved to new facilities on the Langara Campus and became known as Studio 58, named after the room number of the original theatre space.
In 1985 Holland left and was replaced as Artistic Director by Kathryn Shaw, who retired in 2020 and was replaced by Courtenay Dobbie, who died in 2024 and was replaced by Interim Co-Artistic Directors Raes Calvert and Shizuka Kai.Shizuka Kai was replaced by Interim Co-Artistic Director Stephanie Elgersma.
Studio 58's 2015/2016 season celebrated their 50th anniversary.
Notable staff
- Aaron Bushkowsky - Playwriting
- Andrew McNee - Acting
- Kathryn Shaw - Former Artistic Director; Acting
Notable alumni
- Scott Bellis - Actor, director
- Mark Acheson - Actor, TV, film and voiceover
- Brian Drummond - Actor
- Bob Frazer - Actor
- Carmen Aguirre - Actor, director, writer
- Lara Gilchrist - Actress
- Kevin Kerr - Playwright
- Christopher Heyerdahl - Actor
- Jonathan Lachlan-Stewart - Actor
- Kevin Loring - Actor, playwright
- John Mann - Actor, musician
- Kevin McNulty - Actor
- Scott McNeil - Actor
- Colin Mochrie - Actor, Whose Line Is It Anyway?
- Ty Olsson - Actor
- David Richmond-Peck - Actor
- Craig Veroni - Actor
- Jonathon Young - Actor
- Daniel Doheny - Actor
- Josh Epstein - Actor, Producer, Writer
- Juno Rinaldi - Actor
- Sonja Bennett - Actor, writer
- Jane Perry - Actor
References
References
- Paula Jessop. "Carmen Aguirre". [[The Canadian Encyclopedia]].
- Patrick McDonagh. (2002). "The Stagecraft Legacy: Teaching Theatre in Canada 1960-2000". [[National Theatre School of Canada]].
- Colin Thomas. (31 January 2011). "Studio 58's production of The Comedy of Errors is like fireworks". [[The Georgia Straight]].
- Christopher Dafoe. (12 April 1973). "Intelligent restraint marks student acting". [[The Vancouver Sun]].
- "Studio 58". [[Lonely Planet]].
- "Langara. News & Events: Langara News: 2015: Antony Holland, founder of Studio 58, dies at 95".
- (2020-10-09). "Studio 58 artistic director Kathryn Shaw retiring".
- (2024-11-25). "Theatre community mourns former Studio 58 and Caravan Farm Theatre artistic director Courtenay Dobbie".
- (2020-10-09). "Studio 58 artistic director Kathryn Shaw retiring".
- "Faculty & Staff {{!}} Langara".
- (2015-09-30). "Studio 58 still setting the stage on fire at 50".
- (March 2, 2007). "Invisible woman gives geeky teenagers, German lesbians a voice". Postmedia.
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