Kingston Grand Theatre launches 2022-23 Grand OnStage Season

The Kingston Grand Theatre has officially announced its 2022-23 Grand OnStage season, its 15th season overall and first full programming slate since the start of the pandemic. The venue has a wide range of performances on offer this coming season, with various musicians, comedians, dance troupes, theatre companies, and other artists taking the stage as part of the Grand OnStage 2022-2023 lineup.

“It’s wonderful to see the return happening from our audience… Today, we announce all of our upcoming presentations for the 2022-2023 Grand OnStage presenting season,” said Jayson Duggan, Performing Arts Manager for the City of Kingston, on Thursday, Jun. 23, 2022.

While the 2022-23 schedule marks the venue’s first full-season offering in two years, Kingston Grand did offer a “mini-season” this past spring. “We actually didn’t open up our mini-season until March 18. But we have been running shows since that time as part of Grand OnStage and welcoming patrons back into the hall — really by the thousands,” Duggan noted.  

The performance season officially gets underway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022 with a bit of local flair, as Kingston’s own Miss Emily gets set to perform alongside some special guests. Miss Emily is at the top of her game, having been recently named Female Vocalist of the Year at the 2022 Maple Blues Awards, meaning audiences will be in for a real treat at the inaugural show of the Grand Theatre’s season. 

“We wrapped up our mini-season with two nights with Sarah Harmer, celebrating, of course, a local, very well-known, successful talent. And we wanted to continue that trend by opening our new season [with] a statement about our support for local artists,” Duggan said. 

“We worked closely with Miss Emily around the date… we certainly had already set the wheels in motion to work with Miss Emily to kick off our brand new season to highlight a local artist that’s doing incredibly well… her career is certainly on a wonderful trajectory and we want to support that.”

The season continues through May 2023, with 50 unique performances spread out over eight months and headlined by seven “must-see” shows. According to Duggan, the pause in live performances caused by the pandemic allowed the venue to book some big names as major Canadian acts now resume touring. “With most artists being not on the road over the last few years due to COVID, there is a lot of opportunities to program some significant Canadian headline artists in our season,” he shared.

On Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, popular vocal group The Tenors bring their ‘Now and Forever Tour’ to Kingston. On Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, decorated Canadian singer-songwriter Serena Ryder will entertain audiences with hits like ‘Stompa’ and ‘Got Your Number’. 

Fans of rock music will have a lot to choose from this year, with artists such as Blackie and the Rodeo Kings, Bachman and Bachman, and Glass Tiger all set to perform. On Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022 the ‘Northern Happiness Tour’ heads into town, featuring performances by seasoned rockers The Pursuit of Happiness (with Kingston resident Kris Abbott) and The Northern Pikes. Meanwhile, Juno winners Big Wreck will return to the Limestone City on Saturday, Apr. 1, 2023, for what will be the band’s first performance in Kingston in over 10 years. 

Several renowned jazz and blues artists will also make their way to the Kingston Grand Theatre, including The Robert Cray Band and Michael Kaeshammer. 

On top of its diverse selection of musical genres, the venue has also lined up other performance types, with comedians Jeremy Hotz and Ali Hassan both set to hold shows. Additionally, several dance and circus groups will dazzle audiences with their unique skillsets, including Cirque Alphonse’s theatrical, multidisciplinary show called ‘ANIMAL,’ and The State Ballet of Ukraine’s presentation of ‘The Nutcracker,’ a holiday favourite. 

The coming season also features several performances that had to be postponed during the pandemic, including Joel Plaskett Emergency, Johnny Reid, and Tom Cochrane with Red Rider. 

Anyone interested in attending these or other Grand OnStage performances can visit www.kingstongrand.ca for a complete listing of the 2022-23 season’s shows, as well as ticketing information and season subscriptions. “The subscription program is a four-or-more show purchase program. So, in order to purchase a subscription, you do need to select at least four shows from the [performances] that we have on offer,” noted Duggan. 

Subscriptions officially go on sale at noon on Monday, Jun. 27, 2022, and can be purchased anytime after that. “There’s not a rush; however, if you would like to take advantage of the best available seating, the sooner the better,” Duggan encouraged.

Individual ticket sales for all performances will launch on Tuesday, Jul. 19, 2022.