A mix of legends, headline acts, newcomers and returnees will hit the River Run Centre stage this upcoming season.
“A lot of variety,” said Bill Nuhn, the city’s manager of theatres and civic events.
“Hopefully there is something for everyone.”
Canadian rock bands Finger Eleven (Feb. 20, 2025) and 54-40 (Jan. 26, 2025), returnees the Mudmen (March 22, 2025) and Juno Award winning folk band The Strumbellas (Dec. 15) make up just a fraction of the musical numbers for the 2024-25 campaign.
Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock LIVE will also be a part of the family series of shows on March 15, 2025, along with Video Phase - Alt-Escape, a digital performance based in Montreal (Jan. 30, 2025).
Nuhn joked that he’s curious what that audience will look like for Fraggle Rock: families, nostalgic 30-year-olds, or both.
The GuelphToday.com Comedy Series returns for another year, welcoming Maria Bamford (Nov. 3), Girls Nite Out (Feb. 22, 2025) and The Umbilical Brothers - The Distraction (Apr. 8, 2025).
Local band Flamingos will play Feb. 21, the night after Finger Eleven.
Nuhn said the first few rows of theatre seating will be removed for this show, in favour of a dancing area.
The kickoff to the season is Oct. 18, when World After Dark begins a new addition to the calendar, a dance series celebrating different dances and movement.
The popular Just For Laughs Road Show closes the calendar of events on Apr. 25, 2025.
Ballet Jorgen will perform Sleeping Beauty, and Step Afrika! is another newcomer to the River Run stage.
Select shows will also fall under specialty pricing, to drive new audiences into the theatre.
This includes a discount on all shows this season for those under the age of 30.
“When we have shows here, that demographic doesn’t often choose to come here,” Nuhn said.
“This gives them an affordable option. We used to have a combination of a number of different student-led programs, and we sort of made that more inclusive, you didn’t have to be in school. You just had to be under 30 to get a break on the pricing, and try something you maybe wouldn’t try otherwise.”
The sliding scale pricing program returns as well for eight different shows, where tickets will be $20 or $10 in an effort to eliminate economic barriers for people who want to enjoy a show.
“It’s our version of a pay-what-you-can,” Nuhn said.
“People can buy ahead of time rather than paying at the door with that reduced price. That’ll hopefully alleviate that economic barrier to seeing some good quality performing arts.”
You can find the full calendar of events on the River Run Centre website.
