PLAY Society

The name is an acronym and a pun at the same time: Professional Live Arts for Youth, P.L.A.Y. for short. The idea is that kids get taught by working theatre people, and that the price never decides who gets to be in the show. Here is what parents usually want to know.

What does it cost? Every program is $8 an hour, according to the classes page, and the society runs a scholarship program for families who need help with even that. The society says it reaches close to 500 kids a year.

What is on right now? The big one is SpongeBob The Musical, a full-length Broadway musical with a youth cast, at the Chief Sepass Theatre from November 19 to 22, 2026. Performances are Thursday and Friday at 7pm, Saturday at 2pm and 7pm, and Sunday at 2pm; tickets are through the Eventbrite collection linked from the society’s home page. It is also on our events list. The fall term in Langley has two Wednesday classes, a Dog Man class for ages 7 to 11 and a SpongeBob Jr. class for ages 12 and up, and there are after-school drama, improv, musical theatre and mask classes in Maple Ridge through School District 42’s community schools. Dates and times shift by term, so go by the classes page rather than this one.

How long has it been around? Since 2014. The society’s own account is that the founders, Brad Tones and Jessica Anne Nelson, were invited to dinner early that year and told about a new fund being set up in memory of Barbara Howard, the Vancouver athlete who, at 17 in 1938, became the first person of colour to compete for Canada internationally and who later taught in Vancouver schools. They pitched theatre classes for Langley children, the Barbara Howard Student Arts Fund paid for the first three years, and the society incorporated and grew from there. For its first several years the shows were for families only; the first production opened to the general public was Shrek the Musical Jr. in March 2022, with tickets at $20.

Who runs it? Tones is founder and executive director, with a background that includes Pacific Theatre and The Columbia Theatre; Nelson is a Vancouver theatre director and producer. The board is listed on the About page.

Where exactly is the theatre? Inside Langley Fine Arts School in Fort Langley, which the society names as a partner. It is a 300-seat theatre, the biggest in Langley; our Chief Sepass Theatre page has the details.

How do I sign up or help? Registration for classes is by Eventbrite links on the classes page, or email the address above. The site also has membership and donor pages for anyone who wants to back the scholarship fund.

Nearby

Langley Little Theatre in Brookswood runs classes and camps for kids and adults alongside its play season. Theatre in the Country has its own youth academy in Langley City, and Bard in the Valley runs a two-week summer camp for ages 12 to 17.

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