East Siders passing by Venables and Victoria this morning might have had heart failure seeing a gigantic crane lifting the Cultch's beloved cupola off its roof. But fear not: executive director Heather Redfern reports that, as part of the theatre's huge renovations, the original cupola will go back into its spot--right after workers replace the roof with a new, earthquake-ready steel version.

She gave the Straight the news at today's press conference to announce an ambitious new season.

The main stage will be black until the new year, but that hasn't stopped the facility from programming five more works than last year. Its season opener is site-specific work by the U.K.'s Volcano Theatre.

The show, A Few Little Drops: The Extraordinary Life of Water, will raise a big, inflatable wave and house with a pool in the fields by Britannia Secondary School from September 25-28. Audiences will be able to walk through them in this artful look at human water use and its effects on the environment.

Other must-see productions: the Cultch opens its intimate new studio stage, called the VanCity Culture Lab, on November 8 with a double bill of theatre and dance. Jake's Gift is a one-woman show about a veteran's return to Juno Beach, and What,? is a collaboration between choreographer Jennifer Mascall and dancer Ron Stewart.

There are two more shows with buzz: Theatre Conspiracy and Rumble Theatre's Blackbird knocked 'em dead at the Edinburgh Fringe, and Ronnie Burkett's new work for marionettes will be a fitting opening show for the newly renovated historic in January.

Redfern swears that the stage, which turns 100 in 2009, will look as atmospheric as it ever did, only with better, ahem, facilities: "We really wanted it to feel the same as it did, except that you can go to the bathroom," she says.

Check out its funky new graphics and deets on the 2008-09 season at The Cultch’s website.