The Replacement Wife
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After a dire medical prognosis, Jackie matches up her incompetent and “lost” professor husband Ben with Rachel, her super organized, now retired best friend, before heading off to Mexico for risky treatment. But, after six months of experimental drugs with another patient, Suzi, who defies expectations, Jackie returns only to find Ben a completely changed man – and not necessarily for the good. A comedy about friendships over time and how love changes.
Dates: January 23 – February 15, 2026
Times: Thurs-Fri at 8:00 pm, first & third Saturdays at 8 pm, second and fourth Saturdays at 2 pm, Sundays at 2:00 pm, closing on February 15.
Preview: January 22 ($20.00)
Opening: January 23
Talkbacks: Thursday, January 29 and Sunday, February 1
Matinées: All Sundays (Jan 25; Feb 1, 8, 15), two Saturdays (Jan 31; Feb 14)
Run time: approximately 2-1/4 hours, including one 15-minute intermission
For the best availability, we encourage season ticket holders to make their reservations online.
If a show appears to be sold out, please email patronservices@unitedplayers.com as tickets often become available through cancellations.
RESTAURANT SPONSOR: Show your email reservation confirmation for a 15% DISCOUNT on food (on day of performance) at Nuba Taverna.
Valid for Kitsilano location only: 604-336-1797 • 3116 W Broadway, Vancouver BC • www.nuba.ca
The Playwright: Aaron Bushkowsky
Aaron Buskowsky writes and publishes in many genres: film, theatre, poetry, prose, and non-fiction. A prolific writer, Aaron has eight published books and over twenty professional play productions.
He has been nominated for the Jessie Theatre Awards for Outstanding Original Play nine times, more than any other playwright. He has won two Jessies. In 2012, Aaron’s play After Jerusalem was nominated for the prestigious Carol Bolt Award. Aaron has served as playwright-in-residence at Touchstone Theatre, The Playhouse, Rumble Theatre and as a resident film-writer at the Canadian Film Centre in Toronto. His plays have been produced across Canada, the US, and in Europe. He has written two adaptations of Ray Chandler’s books for the stage, both professionally produced.
Aaron’s novel Curtains for Roy was nominated in 2015 for the prestigious Stephen Leacock award for humour writing in Canada. Other nominations include: Leo Award (Screenwriting – Short), Sterling Theatre Award (Writing), Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize (ed and mabel go to the moon, 1995).
Aaron is a member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) and the Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas (LMDA).
Aaron teaches at Kwantlen University, Langara College, Studio 58, and Vancouver Film School and works independently as a film story editor and playwriting dramaturge. He is the artistic director of Solo Collective, a professional Vancouver theatre company.
The Director: Johnna Wright
Johnna Wright has always been drawn to theatre for the chance to tell a story that moves and connects people. The daughter of director John Wright and novelist L.R. “Bunny” Wright, she grew up and began her career in Western Canada. In 1990 she and her sister, actor/producer Katey Wright, were co-founders of Vancouver’s Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival (now Canada’s largest Shakespeare festival outside of Stratford).
Johnna received her BA in Theatre from UBC, and MFA in Directing from the University of Alberta. With collaborator Aaron Bushkowsky, she then co-founded and ran Vancouver’s Solo Collective Theatre, premiering more than 25 new works by Western Canadian playwrights over nine years.
Johnna is a two-time recipient of Vancouver’s Jessie Richardson Awards for both Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production, as well as other directing awards. Other directing projects include Much Ado About Nothing for Bard on the Beach (2025), Sheridan’s The Rivals for Blackbird Theatre in Vancouver, and Tomson Highway’s The (Post) Mistress, with himself as Musical Director, for Gordon Tootoosis Nīkānīwin Theatre.
As a dramaturg, Johnna has supported the development of dozens of new Canadian plays and playwrights. She also works as an editor for writers of long-form fiction and memoir.