Theatre in the Country

Dinner theatre is one of those things people assume they would not like until someone drags them along. If you have never done it, here is how a night at Theatre in the Country, or TIC as everyone calls it, actually works.

A first-timer’s guide, in order

1. Pick dinner or theatre-only. Every performance sells two kinds of ticket. Dinner Theatre puts you at a numbered table on the floor with a meal. Theatre Only puts you in two raised rows at the back; the height means nobody’s head is in your way, and you still get complimentary coffee, tea and punch. The seating page has a photo of the stage taken from every table. Most tables are wheelchair accessible; the accessible Theatre Only spots are in front of the tech booth.

2. Book early if you are eating. Dinner tickets close 24 hours before the show because the food is catered to a count. Dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-, dairy-, nut- and seafood-free) are handled, but you have to flag them when you buy; the online checkout asks. Garlic, onion and pepper allergies and severe allergies cannot be accommodated.

3. Know the prices. For 2026, posted on the price page with tax and the order fee broken out: a Friday or Saturday dinner ticket for a musical comes to $99.84 all-in for adults, $93.84 for under-26s and over-64s; Theatre Only is $47.75 or $44.40. Plays run about five dollars less. Wednesday evenings and Saturday matinees (plus Thursdays for musicals) are the discount shows. Groups of 8 or more get 8 per cent off, 25 or more get 15. New this year: rush Theatre Only seats at the door, $30 for plays and $35 for musicals, all-in. No refunds, but exchanges are allowed.

4. Eat. Catering is by Over The Top Catering. The posted menu is roast beef carved at the table, marinated chicken thighs, a lentil loaf with vegan gravy for those who ordered it, two salads and two vegetables that change nightly, mashed potatoes, pasta, rolls, gravy and horseradish. Cake comes to your table at intermission.

5. Drinks, with a catch. TIC is not fully licensed. Wine, cider and beer are sold on opening and closing nights and at every Friday performance (“Fine Wine Fridays”). Other nights it is punch, coffee and tea.

6. Watch the show. TIC does five mainstage productions a year, a mix of plays and musicals, plus murder mysteries and other special events in between.

What’s on

• Along Came a Spider, October 23 and 24, 2026.
• A Christmas Story: The Musical, directed by Rachel Stephens, November 25 to December 12, 2026. The leg lamp, the bunny suit, the tongue on the flagpole. On our events list.
• 2027, the company’s 15th season: Around the World in 80 Days (Mark Brown’s adaptation, directed by Matthew McCarthy), January 28 to February 13; Peter Pan Goes Wrong (directed by Reg Parks), April 7 to 24; My Fair Lady (directed by Dann Wilhelm), June 9 to 26; Agatha Christie’s A Murder Is Announced (directed by Dovreshin MacRae), September 9 to 25; and a Christmas show December 1 to 18 whose title is still waiting on the rights. Season passes run from $209.89 (Theatre Only, under 26 or over 64) to $462.58 (adult dinner), tax and fees included, and come with weekend seats at weekday prices and first dibs on tables.

Where it came from

Artistic director Reg Parks started the company in Maple Ridge after students and parents from his drama classes at Maple Ridge Christian School encouraged him to. Its first home, opened in January 2013, was the old Whonnock Elementary gym, with about 100 seats at tables. In March 2017 the same crew opened a Langley branch in Walnut Grove with the farce Charley’s Aunt, dinner first, show at 6:30. The company now gives 5708 Glover Road in Langley City as its home, and bills 2027 as its fifteenth season.

TIC Academy

The company also teaches. Drama and musical theatre classes for ages 7 to 18 run September to May at the theatre, with year-end shows on the main stage; 2026–27 tuition is $65 to $81 a month plus GST depending on the class. The Academy also rents out costume and prop “show boxes” from past junior productions. Details on the classes page; mainstage auditions and volunteering have their own pages under Opportunities.

Nearby

Langley Little Theatre is the other year-round community stage, in Brookswood. The PLAY Society does youth musicals at the Chief Sepass Theatre in Fort Langley, and Bard in the Valley plays Douglas Park in Langley City every July.

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