Your contribution can make a huge difference. Ticket sales are only a portion of the funding we need in order to stage our work in the theatre and in the community. Each year we donate countless tickets to social service organizations, as well as provide subsidized performance and rehearsal space to both community and professional arts groups. You can help financially as an individual, you can volunteer, or you can sponsor a production or a season through your company.
You can donate online, call us, or send us a cheque--whatever you'd prefer!
Contributions of $20 or more receive a charitable tax receipt.
As I sat in the comfort of the Firehall’s intimate black box theatre watching the closing performance of Between Breaths on Sunday, I enjoyed watching the audience be captivated by the skill of the company of actors and musicians, the simplicity and specificity of the directorial choices and the amazing blend of music and text. Attending a live performance is such an active experience, and although audiences are generally not called to the stage, they are called to listen, like or dislike, laugh, groan, applaud or simply just be. And as I watched, in partnership with the company on stage, the audience went on a journey on the open waters of the Atlantic, hearing whales in distress and watching as they breached in joy. It was truly magical, in the moment to be tucked away in memory. These are the moments that enrich lives, and the Firehall is grateful to share them.
There are so many things contributing to what happens inside this 119-year-old heritage building. It is every audience member who has come through it’s doors; every donor who has generously given funds to undertake the work we do; every creative artist who has performed and shared their talent on stage and in the rehearsal hall; every staff member who has ever worked here ; every volunteer who has greeted people at the door and torn a ticket; every board member who has donated their time over the Firehall’s long history and every brick in the walls that surround us.
The Firehall means something different to everyone, and two of our wonderful supporters have shared what it means to them:
“In its comfortably compact space, the Firehall provides a venue where we, as a community, can explore circumstances and ideas. I come away from every performance with new knowledge and fresh ideas. Thanks to all the Firehall team for a wonderful community.” – Rose Provinciano (donor & audience member)
We love going to the Firehall! Every play seems to have a special twist. And when I speak to friends, they agree that the Firehall is a very special place.” – Susan Stout (donor & audience member)
This is a time more than ever when we all need human connection and the sharing of stories. We need bright lights of communication and creativity, and we need to escape from the overwhelming power of data overload and constant information to places where we can be with others as we learn and laugh together. That is what the live performing arts do, and that is why I am asking for your support in helping the Firehall continue to be so many different things to so many different people.
Through the generous donation of $50,000 from a foundation that wishes to remain anonymous, we are launching our annual 2025 Year-End Matching Campaign. This foundation has committed to supporting our program’s school matinees and youth opportunities at the Firehall. They believe involvement in the arts is a powerful way of creating cultural understanding, stimulating creativity and improving literacy while encouraging a love of live performance, be it theatre, music, or dance.
Ticket prices alone cannot cover the expense of paying professional artists and creative team members industry-standard fees, or the costs of running a facility that, although wonderful, needs a lot of TLC, or ensuring staff members receive what in this city is barely a livable wage. Public grant monies, although gratefully received, cannot fill the gap. And so, I am asking for your help in reaching our year-end fundraising goal as we work towards matching this generous donation.
Your support will help ensure our ticket prices remain accessible, allowing us to continue offering pay-what-you-can matinee performances, complimentary tickets, and deeply discounted ticket programs for clients of social services groups within our neighbourhood. It will allow us to continue presenting opportunities to gather in the theatre and enjoy works such as Between Breaths, Women of the Fur Trade, Vacant Lot, Myokine, and new works like A Very Merry Motown, House of Folk, and Drew Hayden Taylor’s The Undeniable Accusations of Red Cadmium, which explores questions about Indigeneity.
I greatly appreciate your consideration of the Firehall in your end-of-year donation planning, and thank you for that.
With gratitude,
Donna Spencer
Artistic Producer
Reasons to Give
You want to be in the top 20% because you know ticket prices and public funding only cover 80% of the cost of producing and presenting our great shows.
You want to help us support and uplift our neighbourhood by supporting partnerships and work opportunities for people experiencing barriers to employment, you’re helping to make our neighbourhood better.
You want to help us to help at-risk youth by supporting training programs for youth at risk and for young people just out of theatre technical and creative training programs.
You want students to experience the world outside of their campus by helping us keep supporting discounted tickets to the 1,500 secondary school students who see productions at the Firehall. The students are exposed to stories about residential schools, politics, global warming and climate change, Jewish/Muslim relations and much much more.
You want to maintain this 100-year-old building, and you know that the facility needs some TLC and accessibility upgrades.
You know what we do here is essential and there shouldn’t be barriers to seeing art. Each season the Firehall offers local low-income residents accessible opportunities to enjoy the professional arts in their own community and brings positive energy and creative spirit to a neighbourhood that continues to be challenged.
You want to feel like part of a family each time you come. We know and love all of our donors, and can’t wait to meet you.
The Firehall is a registered charity: Registration #119232965 RR 0001
Donations of all sizes are needed and appreciated. For those with greater means to support, we have two new donor levels with a variety of perks and benefits:
Patrons Circle ($1,000-$4,999)
Tax receipt for full donation
Recognition on all donor materials
2 complimentary tickets to each Firehall production
Invitation to exclusive Firehall receptions and events
Artistic Producer Circle ($5,000+)
All Patrons Circle benefits listed above
10 complimentary tickets to a chosen performance for you and your guests
Opportunity to attend a dress rehearsal or first reading of your choice
Invitation to an exclusive Artistic Producer dinner
Giving is easy, and you can donate in the following ways:
ONLINE: You can make your secure online gift through our website.
BY PHONE: Please call 604.689.0691 to donate over the phone.
BY MAIL: Please send your contribution to:
The Firehall Theatre Society
280 E. Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC V6A 1L3
The Firehall Arts Centre is one of the most beloved and respected cultural hubs in Vancouver. Our audiences come from across Metro Vancouver and are culturally, politically and socially minded.
If your business or organization is interested in sponsoring a production, a presentation, a special night, a community outreach initiative, or a season at Firehall, you’ll be in good company!
Volunteer
Do you have a passion for the performing arts? Looking for a way to see theatre for free? As a non-profit charity, the Firehall is thankful for its volunteers, their time, and their commitment. Our volunteers play a crucial role in the Firehall’s smooth functioning. We are looking for individuals who are outgoing, responsible, friendly, and reliable!
The volunteer schedule works as a call-out on a first-come, first-served basis. As opportunities arise, we will send out a notice and a sign up sheet with show and time information so you can choose the volunteer shifts that work for you.
Gala 2025 Volunteers
Jon Benjamin Photography
Our Place in the World
The Firehall is one of my favourite theatres because of the no-bad-seats interior, friendly helpful staff and volunteers, the lobby aesthetic, and of course the great plays you produce.”
Patron Feedback Patron Survey
We’re Grateful to Be Here.
The Firehall Arts Centre is located on the unceded and traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations where they lived and gathered together for thousands of years. Acknowledging their connections to these lands is a significant part of what the Firehall considers when choosing the productions and presentations we undertake and how that work shapes and impacts those around us. We ask our community to reflect on what being present here means to you and those around you.
