BARD ON THE BEACH 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS – AUGUST SPECIAL EVENTS

Bard B-Q & Fireworks – Saturday, August 2 @ 4:30pm

Enjoy a performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Cymbeline followed by a delicious dinner and then a thrilling sword-fighting display and Shakespearean improv comedy. Wrap up the evening with an up-close view of the Celebration of Light fireworks and it’s a one-of-a-kind, spectacular Festival experience! The evening includes the performances of the plays followed by a BC salmon dinner, dessert, cash bar and entertainment. Tea and coffee will also be served before the fireworks display. Performance start time for Bard B-Q and Fireworks is 4:30pm (NOTE new, earlier 2014 start time). Tickets are $99 and include your choice of two plays (reserved seating), dinner & dessert and post-dinner entertainment.

Celebrating Red & White – Saturday, August 16 @ 5pm

Join event host Sandhill Wines for a special tasting of award-winning VQA wines from BC’s Okanagan region, paired with delicious cheeses. Bard’s beautiful waterfront site is the setting for Celebrating Red & White and tickets are $30. Purchase a matinee (2pm) or evening (7:30pm) ticket to one of Bard on the Beach’s 25^th anniversary productions, A Midsummer Night’s Dream or Equivocation (by Bill Cain), and you have a doubly entertaining afternoon or evening!

Bard Explored – Saturdays, August 9 & 23 @ 11:30am and Mondays, August 11 & 18 @ 7:30pm

Enhance your Bard experience by taking in one or more of our entertaining and informative talks. Saturdays at 11:30am Bard on the Beach presents Discovering Shakespeare with Mary Hartman. New this season, Discovering Shakespeare talks provide a general introduction to Cymbeline and Equivocation, and are scheduled to allow time for a picnic lunch before theSaturday matinee performances. Bard’s Director of Education Mary Hartman delivers a one-hour backgrounder on the story, characters, language and historical context of the plays, with her signature warmth and enthusiasm. Tickets are $10 and dates for Discovering Shakespeare are: August 9 – Cymbeline and August 23 – Equivocation.

Picnic lunches available by pre-order from Emelle’s Catering – visit www.bardonthebeach.org for details and to order.

In the Exploring Shakespeare series, Simon Fraser University’s Paul Budra delivers in-depth explorations of Cymbelineand Equivocation in his lively and engaging style. Go beyond the story and explore Shakespeare’s inspirations and influences on Mondays at 7:30pm. Have all your questions answered and leave with a fuller, deeper understanding and appreciation of this season’s plays. Tickets are $10 and dates for Exploring Shakespeare are: August 11 – Cymbeline andAugust 18 – Equivocation.

Opera and Arias: Shakespeare’s Opera – Mondays, August 25 & September 1 (2pm & 7:30pm)

Christopher Gaze hosts Shakespeare’s Opera, a delightful collection of arias and ensembles inspired by some of Shakespeare’s greatest plays, including Hamlet, The Merry Wives of Windsor and Romeo & Juliet. The in-concert performances of works by Verdi, Bellini, Handel and more showcase the rising stars of the UBC Opera Ensemble, directed by Nancy Hermiston. Vancouver Opera Orchestra members provide instrumental accompaniment, conducted by Leslie Dala. Performances are on August 25 & September 1 at 2:00pm and 7:30pm. Reserved seating. Tickets are $35 for Matinees and $47 for Evenings (adults); all performances $27 (Global BC Youth price) for ages 6-25.

Bard on the Beach is Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare company and its Artistic Director is Christopher Gaze. It presents its annual summer festival in Kitsilano’s beautiful Vanier Park, adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. Bard Mainstage plays are staged in an open-ended tent against a stunning backdrop of mountains, sea and sky, and both its theatres are located on the waterfront. Performance schedule and information can be found on the Bard website at bardonthebeach.org. For more information and tickets, call 604-739-0559 or (toll free) 1-877-739-0559 or order online through the Bard website.