REGINA, Sask. — The Globe Theatre and Regina Symphony Orchestra are joining forces for their first full production together, bringing Les Misérables to the stage with live orchestral accompaniment for a six-week run in Regina.
The production will run Feb. 10 to March 21, 2027, at the Globe's Rawlinson Main Stage in MacCorquodale Place. A 14-piece orchestra featuring RSO musicians will perform the sweeping score, with rotations bringing the total number of participating musicians to an estimated 30 to 40.
Globe Theatre artistic director Jennifer Brewin said the music is central to the production and requires musicians capable of delivering the scale and emotion of the score.
“The music is the story, one that spans decades, moving between the intimate and the epic to trace Jean Valjean's heroic journey of redemption and resilience,” Brewin said during Tuesday's announcement.
“It's not a score for the faint of heart. To show it off in its full, muscular beauty, we needed epically talented musicians to bring this major work to life.”
Brewin said the partnership marks the first time the two organizations have worked together to present an entire show, although they have collaborated on smaller events in the past.
She described the project as an opportunity to create something neither organization could produce in quite the same way on its own.
“Our two institutions have very different histories and artistic practices, but with a shared commitment to making great art in Saskatchewan,” she said.
The Globe has been producing professional theatre in Saskatchewan since 1966, while the Regina Symphony Orchestra dates back to 1908.
RSO executive director Sam Deason said the organizations have developed a close relationship over the past several years, making the production a natural next step.
“Joining forces with these two organizations, it allows us to do so much more together than we could do as individual institutions,” Deason said.
He also credited RSO musicians with playing a central role in developing the partnership, along with the organizations' boards of directors.
The orchestra will include strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion and two keyboards. Orchestra rehearsals are expected to begin in early February, with musicians first working separately before joining the cast during the final stages of preparation.
Because the Globe does not have an orchestra pit, Brewin said the production team is working on how best to position the musicians and ensure audiences can see and hear them.
Director Estelle Shook and music director Evan Watts Smith will lead the production, with the Globe's sound team helping determine how the orchestra will be incorporated into the performance.
The musical is based on Victor Hugo's novel and follows Jean Valjean, a man condemned for stealing bread who seeks redemption while navigating a society marked by poverty, injustice and political unrest.
Brewin also noted the production has a special connection to Regina through the late Michael Burgess, who was born and raised in the city and played Jean Valjean in the landmark Canadian production that opened in Toronto in 1989.
“He went on to perform it more than a thousand times,” Brewin said. “To present a homegrown Les Mis in his city is a very special addition to the show's history.”
The Globe's production is one of three productions of Les Misérables being staged in Canada this season. It will be the first time the musical is produced locally in Saskatchewan rather than brought in as a touring production.
The announcement comes as the Globe continues working to complete the revitalization of its historic downtown home. The theatre was identified in the 2026 federal budget among projects proposed for support through the Build Communities Strong Fund, but the final amount and timing of funding have not yet been confirmed.
Executive director and co-CEO Oz Weaver said the Globe has an active application for $12 million, which would help address the $11.7 million in construction debt tied to the renovation.
“We're hoping to receive that full $12 million as it will set the capital campaign into a really good place, will allow us to pay off all renovation debt,” Weaver said.
The theatre would then continue fundraising another $2 million to $4 million for remaining building work, including finishing its clock tower and replacing windows dating back to the 1970s.
Weaver said the building is fully operational, but completing those projects would help secure its future.
“We'd love to knock off those last few things and really bring this building into another hundred years,” Weaver said.
Regular ticket prices for Les Misérables range from $80 to $125. The Globe also offers several lower-cost options, including $20 Tuesday tickets, select pay-what-you-will performances and $30 rush tickets available in person one hour before each show.
