Lunchbox Theatre announces new venue for new season

Lunchbox Theatre is packing up and leaving the downtown core for cSPACE Marda Loop – a major shift for a company built in the heyday of Calgary’s office culture in the 1970s.

Now heading into its 52nd season, Artistic Director Bronwyn Steinberg says the move reflects how Calgary has changed.

“Downtown office work culture is not what it was in the 70s, which led to the creation of Lunchbox. You know, I don’t think people really take a lunch break and go see a play very often anymore,” she says. “I wish they did.”

Instead of office workers dropping in over lunch, Steinberg says most of the audience is now travelling downtown specifically to see shows and many are frustrated by the experience.

“The bulk of the complaints we get is that parking and driving downtown and all that stuff is terrible. And that people, there are people who don’t feel safe going downtown, which is a whole separate issue,” she says.

The move to cSPACE Marda Loop puts Lunchbox in the middle of a purpose-built arts hub.

cSPACE King Edward, located in Marda Loop inside a historic 1912 sandstone school, has been transformed into a multi-disciplinary arts incubator, offering studios, performance spaces, and shared resources for artists and organizations.

Steinberg says the company is already leaning into that collaborative environment, sharing office space with Forte Musical Theatre and rehearsal space with Quest Theatre.

And it may be easier for audiences to actually grab lunch there too, with a café right in the building.

“Marda Loop is a great neighbourhood with lots going on and families, seniors’ homes, and schools. And, you know, I’m just really excited about, like, the new relationships we can build by being there.”

Steinberg also hopes the new location can bring in millennials and younger families. 

“If you have a young family where your kids are in school, how great it is to come see a show at noon?”

The company also unveiled its 52nd season, built entirely around local Calgary artists:

RIBSTONE
Written and performed by Christopher Hunt
October 7 – 17, 2026

A CHRISTMAS CAROL RADIO PLAY LIVE
Adapted and directed by Bronwyn Steinberg
December 1 – 24, 2026

INNER ELDER
Written and performed by Michelle Thrush
January 20 – 30, 2027

OH MOTHER!
Written and performed by Rebbekah Ogden
March 2 – 6, 2027

MARV & EV
By Jason Long
April 27 – May 15, 2027

More information at https://www.lunchboxtheatre.com/