Calgary's ATP has announced its lineup for the 50th season of 2024-25

Paul Gross is coming home to help Alberta Theater Projects (ATP) celebrate 50 years^th On the Anniversary Stage at the Martha Cohen Theatre.

A Calgary theater company that has produced more than 100 world premiere productions by Canadian playwrights has announced its 50th.^th Jubilee line-up Thursday.

The opening performance will be a work by Irish playwright Conor Macpherson Sailor (Oct. 15-Nov. 10) is a dark comedy starring Gross, the star of such films. Men with brooms, Passchendaeleand TV series South.

Gross recently returned to the Stratford stage, where he played King Lear last summer.

Asked how he feels about returning to the stage in Calgary, he wrote in an email: “Hang on. Is this production in Calgary? It's better than I thought (and I need to learn to read the contract).

On his return home, Gross said it brought his entire life full circle, not just his acting career.

“It will be a moment to go back to where I started,” he said. “Because a very long time ago, I was born at Calgary General Hospital.”

50^th The anniversary season brings home Rebecca Northan (creator and star of the global hit comedy). Blind date), who directs the holiday return Charlotte's website (Nov. 26-Dec. 29), one of ATP's most beloved productions. Featuring Wilbur the Pig and Charlotte the Spider, Charlotte's website tells about the power of loyalty and friendship.

A different study of a similar topic King James (Feb. 25-March 16), which explores 12 years in the lives of two Cleveland friends against the backdrop of living Cleveland legend LeBron James, who comes and goes back and forth to help deliver an NBA championship for his hometown Cavaliers. Written by Rajiv Joseph King James, a Bengal tiger at the Baghdad Zoo ATP artistic director Haisam Qadri directs.

Haisam Kadri has been named Artistic Director of Alberta Theater Projects. (File/Tim Nguyen)

It will be the final production Liars at a funeral (April 22-May 11), Sofia Fabilli's comedy about a grandmother who uses her own death to bring her dysfunctional family together in one room.

This is the first full season programmed by Kadri, who left the Stratford Festival in 2006 and returned home to Calgary, where he has starred in and directed some of the city's most memorable productions over the past 20 years, as well as spent 11 years as an artist. Artistic Director of the Shakespeare Company.

It's a full-circle moment not only for Gross, but for Kadri and the ATP.

“Programming the 50th season in the ATP requires special importance and responsibility,” Kadri said. “It is about celebrating the organization's history, achievements and contribution to the country. It's a great opportunity to reflect on the journey that has led to this milestone and honor the artists, staff and audiences who have been part of ATP's legacy.”

“As a Calgary theater company with a rich 50-year history,” he added, “ATP's commitment to presenting contemporary events and nurturing local talent reflects its importance as a cultural institution in Alberta and Canada.”

It also turns out Kadri and Gross have an old theater connection.

“My first professional gig was working with Paul Gross Hamlet at Stratford,” Kadri said, “and he brought tremendous talent, passion, and dedication to the stage that impressed me greatly and set the standard for me to strive for in my own journey as a theater artist.

For more information on ATP 50^th anniversary season, go here.