Our Live Events season runs from August to September each year, don’t miss out on our amazing shows!
Internationally acclaimed Australian blues artist Lloyd Spiegel brings over three decades of world-class musicianship to the Empress stage. Known for his fiery guitar work, powerful vocals, and deeply personal storytelling, Spiegel blends blues, roots, and soul into performances that are both electrifying and deeply moving. A multiple award-winning performer with a reputation for captivating live shows, Lloyd Spiegel delivers an unforgettable evening of music filled with passion, humour, and extraordinary talent.
Step into the Empress Theatre for a one-of-a-kind Halloween celebration featuring the captivating sounds of Little Miss Higgins. Presented in partnership with Heritage Acres Farm Museum, this special evening invites guests to dress up, embrace the spirit of the season, and enjoy an unforgettable performance from one of Canada's most distinctive roots artists.
With a voice full of character and songs steeped in early country blues, jazz, and folk traditions, Little Miss Higgins creates music that feels both timeless and completely her own. For more than 20 years, she has delighted audiences with her warm storytelling, soulful performances, and theatrical approach to songwriting. Expect an evening filled with vintage charm, prairie heart, haunting melodies, and plenty of Halloween magic. Costumes are encouraged—come celebrate, get creative, and enjoy a night where music and imagination meet.
Experience the Second Annual One-Act Play Festival, featuring short plays by theatre-makers from across the region — from comedy to drama and everything in between. Non-adjudicated and all about the love of theatre, the festival celebrates creativity, collaboration, and fresh voices. And when the curtain closes, the conversation begins: meet the performers and directors, share your thoughts, ask questions, and discover the stories behind the stories.
Come for the plays. Stay for the conversation. Celebrate theatre with us!
Note: One day is $15, $25 for both days! Discount automatically applied at checkout if purchasing tickets for both days. To add the second day to your order, follow “CONTINUE SHOPPING” located on the left hand side.
Secondhand Dreamcar delivers a dynamic live performance of soaring melodies, driving rhythms, and emotionally charged storytelling. Their debut album Answer the Call was nominated for the 2025 JUNO Award for Blues Album of the Year and earned three Canadian Blues Music Award nominations, establishing the band as a rising force in the Canadian music scene. On stage, they balance intimate moments with powerful anthems, creating an immersive concert experience that resonates long after the final note.
Some Christmas traditions become so much a part of our lives that it is difficult to imagine the festive season without them, and Holiday Shows at the Empress have become one of those traditions.
Join us for an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved classic, A Christmas Carol, starring actor, writer and artist Diemon Newchild. Taking on the iconic role of Ebenezer Scrooge—and 26 other characters—Diemon brings Dickens’ timeless story to life on the Empress stage.
So bring your family, your friends and your festive spirit, and join us for another Christmas at the Empress. After all, it wouldn’t be a tradition without you.
CCMA-winning Canadian country stars George Canyon and Aaron Pritchett bring their Cowboy Christmas Tour to the Empress Theatre on December 13.
Enjoy an evening of chart-topping country hits, beloved Christmas classics, and holiday cheer from two of Canada's most celebrated country artists.
Like a summer wind’s last ride through fall’s first turn, Moranz & Fremlin stand at the edge of tradition and time. This Canadiana and bluegrass duo—multi-instrumentalist Ryland Moranz and mandolin virtuoso Dan Fremlin—blend original songwriting with traditional acoustic forms, creating music that feels both timeless and immediate.
For Ryland Moranz, this story carries a personal resonance—having grown up in the local community and worked within the Empress Theatre in his youth, his return to this stage adds a meaningful layer to an already evocative collaboration. Together, Moranz & Fremlin bring rich instrumentation, expressive storytelling, and a deep respect for acoustic heritage to audiences across Canada and beyond, including their debut album Williwaw (Tonic Records, 2026).
Shane Pendergast has folk music in his blood. Hailing from a long lineage of storytellers and musicians on Prince Edward Island, he carries the Maritime folk tradition forward through honest, insightful songwriting rooted in place and lived experience.
From intimate halls across PEI to celebrated folk festivals around the world, Pendergast has earned a reputation as one of Atlantic Canada’s finest folk troubadours. His 2021 album Second Wind (Music PEI Contemporary Roots Album of the Year), 2023 live release The House Before the Bridge (East Coast Music Award nomination), and 2025 album Winter Grace reflect a body of work shaped by reflection, nature, and the Maritime landscape.
Through evocative storytelling and intricate guitar work, Shane Pendergast captures the essence of life in the Maritimes, weaving themes of community, history, and nature into every performance.
Don Burnstick is coming to the Empress Theatre!
Join the Wellness Living Society for a special evening with one of Canada’s best-known Indigenous comedians, storytellers, and entertainers. Don brings his unique blend of humour, life experience, and storytelling to the stage for an evening that promises plenty of laughs and memorable moments.
This special performance is also a fundraiser supporting the Wellness Living Society and its initiatives. By attending, you’re not only in for a great night of entertainment—you’re helping support the important work happening in our community.
Gather your friends and family and come enjoy an evening of laughter while supporting a great cause.
Don Burnstick Live at the Empress Theatre — we can’t wait to see you there!
There are concerts you go to for the songs — and then there are concerts where you go for the experience of being in the room with exceptional musicians.
Steve Dawson and Fats Kaplin at the Empress Theatre promises to be one of those nights.
Steve Dawson is a celebrated songwriter, guitarist and roots musician whose music draws from folk, country, blues and the rich traditions of North American roots music.
Joining him is Fats Kaplin, a singular Nashville musician and multi-instrumentalist known for his remarkable musicianship and unmistakable musical character.
Together, Dawson and Kaplin bring songs, stories and extraordinary live musicianship to the stage — the kind of intimate, memorable performance that reminds you why seeing great artists live is so special.
Danny Michel is what happens when genre refuses to behave. Rock, pop, folk, world, and classical influences all find their place in a body of work shaped by curiosity, humour, and deeply human storytelling. With multiple JUNO nominations, Polaris Prize recognition, and awards for his boundary-pushing creativity, Michel has built a career defined by fearless musical exploration.
From recording with The Garifuna Collective in Belize to creating music aboard a Soviet-era icebreaker in the Arctic alongside astronaut Chris Hadfield, his work reflects a rare sense of adventure and connection to the world. Albums like Matadora, Khlebnikov, and Ghost Town explore themes of humanity, environment, and vulnerability, revealing an artist unafraid to follow inspiration wherever it leads.
On stage, Danny Michel is equal parts storyteller, musician, and explorer—bringing warmth, wit, and wonder to every performance.
Viewpoints are simply another way to consider how to create a character and how that character reacts and behaves honestly in the world which the writer has created. Through this Viewpoint workshop you will be we able to come up with a myriad of possible choices. Viewpoints work equally well in both theater and in front of a camera. After all, acting is not acting, it is telling the simple truth. And that’s true in any medium. But before that happens, you have to get brave, fearless and work with reckless abandon. All the time.
This is a study in character development, finding possible truths through movement that you may have never thought of before and most importantly, reigniting your imagination.
Let yourself off the hook. Remember acting is not only a craft, but an Art.
A special Lunch is included at Digbees Cafe!
