* Vagabond Players: Officially formed in 1937, the Vagabond Players grew out of the Unity Club at St. Aidan's Church. The community theatre group stages five-play seasons each year at the Bernie Legge Theatre - its headquarters in Queen's Park. Its current production, Alone Together, is onstage until Feb. 22. Up next is Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet), running April 3 to 19. For more on the group, see www.vagabondplayers.ca.
* Royal City Musical Theatre: Formed in 1990, Royal City Musical Theatre is celebrating its 25th year of staging a major Broadway musical in the spring, in a longtime partnership with the Massey Theatre. It offers a bridge between the non-professional and professional musical theatre worlds, giving emerging talents a chance to shine in its major productions. Up next is Annie, April 10 to 26. See its website at www.royalcitymusicaltheatre.com.
* Patrick Street Productions: Formed in 2007, the company works to provide opportunities for professional musical theatre performers and stage musicals that haven't yet been done professionally in Vancouver. Its current production is Out of a Dream, a Rodgers and Hammerstein revue, running until Feb. 16. Up next is Floyd Collins, March 11 to 30. Both productions are at the York Theatre. See www.patrickstreetproductions.com.
* City Stage New West: The not-for-profit society was formed in July 2005 with the intention of filling the cultural gap left in New Westminster by the closure of the Burr Theatre. It has a mission to bring professional theatre to the stage in the city. Its ongoing project is to create a professional cast recording of George Ryan's Stump City Stories, the original musical it commissioned for the city's 150th anniversary in 2009. See www.citystagenewwest.org.
