On the 1929 opening night of their first Vancouver show, telegrams of congratulations were received from key figures of the era, such as Laurel and Hardy, and J.M. Barrie. The productions proved to be big hits, attracting mass audiences at the same time that talking pictures were revolutionizing cinema and Vancouverites were seeking an escape from the post-Wall Street crash and the subsequent Depression.

A 1933 Vancouver Sun article on the Empress notes that, between the stage hands, electricians, designers and actors, the Empress Theatre had a payroll of $1,500 a week, which qualified it as a significant employer in Vancouver. The British Guild Players’ Vancouver productions were usually frothy comedies that had been hits in London and Broadway including:

The Bachelor Father
Parlour Bedroom and Bath
The Plays The Thing
The Adventurous Age
Innocent Ann
Tomorrow And Tomorrow
Easy Come Easy Go
A Cuckoo In The Nest
Are You A Mason
When Knights Were Bold
Peter Pan
Rip Vancouver Winkle
Bunty Pulls The Strings
Almost a Honeymoon
A Damsel In Distress
Nancy’s Private Affair
The Man In Possession
Little Bit Of Fluff
The Sport Of Kings
That’s Gratitude