Vancouver theatre: Six must-see shows for October

After a summer of big shows at Bard, TUTS, the Arts Club and Queen E, October is teeing up a showcase for intimate, offbeat theatre in cozier confines; storytelling on a smaller scale. That may be just what local audiences want. Secret Ingredients, Kelly Rois O’Brien’s upcoming solo show at Richmond’s Gateway Theatre, sold out its entire run weeks before its mid-October opening. Here are six more hot tickets this month.

When: Oct. 2-4; on tour to Nov. 8
Where: BMO Theatre Centre and on tour
Tickets & Info: From $37 at artsclub.com

Thirty years ago, five local actresses — Jill Daum, Alison Kelly, Robin Nichol, Barbara Pollard and Deborah Williams — started comparing notes about being new mothers. Out of that conversation came the original Mom’s the Word and three subsequent variations about the joys, perils and absurdities of motherhood and family. This Thanksgiving version is typically candid and hilarious. Following its Vancouver run, the Moms will tour the Lower Mainland for the Arts Club until Nov. 8. Pam Johnson directs.

When: Oct. 7-18
Where: The Nest, Granville Island
Tickets & Info: $20-$35 at touchstonetheatre.com

Touchstone Theatre and Glitch Theatre premiere Vancouverite Jordyn Wood’s new play, described as a darkly comic queer zombie love story about choosing life in a time of global trauma. Daniela Atiencia directs and Gabrielle Nebrida-Pépin stars in this little play that asks a big question: what makes life worth living when the world no longer feels like home?

When: Oct. 8-18
Where: Firehall Arts Centre
Tickets & Info: From $20 at firehallartscentre.ca

For this Firehall presentation, two independent companies — rice and beans theatre and Gokko Creative Society — combine forces for the Canadian premiere of Japanese playwright Hideki Noda’s dark comic parable about xenophobia and immigration. When a creature washes up on the beach of a town, speaking a language the townsfolk can’t understand, they label it a demon. Mayumi Yoshida directs this topical production.

When: Oct. 14-Nov. 1
Where: BMO Theatre Centre
Tickets & Info: From $29 at artsclub.com

When a loved one dies, what value do you attach to their belongings? Married couple Matt Baram and Naomi Sniekus have opposing views about what to do with their late parents’ stuff in this partly scripted, partly improvised two-hander, balancing laughter and tears while incorporating the audience’s experiences. After a Canadian tour and an award-winning Edinburgh Fringe run, the pair brings this highly-praised show to Vancouver, directed by co-creator Kat Sandler.