Vancouverites know when summer has arrived not from rising temperatures but on account of the micro-city of white and red tents that miraculously appears every June in Vanier Park, ready for the city’s beloved Bard on the Beach.
Set on the waterfront against a stunning backdrop of mountains, sea, and sky, Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare company has been wowing patrons for an incredible 25 years with a selection of the Bard’s most loved theatrical works of art.
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This special season, two audience favourites are returning to the big tents: The Tempest, a fantastical romance, directed by Meg Roe; and, our fave, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a side-splittingly hilarious tale of meddling fairies, star-crossed lovers, royal engagements, and muddled tradesmen caught up in chaos, directed by Dean Paul Gibson (Associate Artistic Director, Bard on the Beach). These plays will be alternating at the BMO Mainstage.
Also offered on the Howard Family Stage during Vancouver’s summer theatre festival will be a bold, physical adaptation of Shakespeare’s tragicomedy Cymbeline, performed by a six-actor ensemble and directed by Anita Rochon (Chop Theatre). Also, there will be the Shakespearean-themed drama Equivocation, written by celebrated American playwright Bill Cain and directed by the Belfry Theatre’s Artistic Director Michael Shamata (it’s a co-production with the Belfry).
Bard on the Beach runs from June 11th to September 20th, with performances being held Tuesdays through Sundays. Evening performances start at 7:30pm, while matinees are available on selected weekends and weekdays. Tickets range from $33 to $47 for adults, and $27 for youths aged 6 to 25 years-old. We highly recommend that you purchase your tickets now as all of these performances will sell out quickly!
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For more information regarding purchasing tickets, the performance schedule, and 25th anniversary special events, click here.
Images courtesy of Bard on the Beach.
What plays will you be checking out at Bard on the Beach? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
