Bard on the Beach announces its 35th Season with 4 productions!

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival Announces Its 35^th Season

Four productions come to Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park this summer

The 2024 Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival returns to Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park in Vancouver from June 11 to September 21, 2024. The festival’s 35th season features a blend of comedy, romance, tragedy, and farce—there’s something for everyone!

“We’re very excited about our 2024 Season,” said Founding Artistic Director Christopher Gaze. “With comedy, music, romance, and drama, there’s something for everyone, whether they’re a committed Shakespeare fan or have never been to the theatre before. We’re so thrilled to work with some of Canada’s finest theatre creators to present a unique and diverse season that will make you laugh, make you think, and move you deeply – all in equal parts.”

THE PLAYS:

On the BMO Mainstage the season takes off with a new production of Twelfth Night. Director Diana Donnelly celebrates a topsy-turvy carnival world packed with romance and laughs, adventure, and self-discovery, set to original music by beloved Vancouver singer-songwriter Veda Hille. It plays in repertory with a contemporary setting of Shakespeare’s classic tale of vengeance, love, and loss, Hamlet, adapted and directed by Stephen Drover, who invites us to consider the blurry lines around loyalty, self, and all the things that are in heaven and earth. Mainstage productions run from June 11 to September 21, 2024.

The Howard Family Stage will host two productions. Directed and adapted by Rebecca Northan(Goblin:Macbeth), The Comedy of Errors takes its laughs seriously—deadly seriously. Wear your best bedsheet as a toga to this hilarious slapstick saga of mistaken identity and marital strife. It plays in repertory with Jivesh Parasram’s footloose adaptation of Measure for Measure, set in a contemporary Vienna where the party never stops—until now. Shakespeare’s tale of coercion and hypocrisy reaches absurdist new heights as premarital… dancing is outlawed. Howard Family stage productions run July 2 to September 21, 2024.

Adds Gaze, “Why not take in one of our many special events as part of your visit? They’re the perfect summer evening at Bard.”

BARD ON THE BEACH 2024 SPECIAL EVENTS:

The crowd-pleasing Bard Fireworks Nights, where patrons enjoy a performance of Twelfth Night or The Comedy of Errors followed by a dessert buffet, and guaranteed, spectacular views of the Celebration of Light. Fireworks evenings are July 20, 24 & 27. New this year: Bring your own picnic supper, preorder from us (for an extra charge), or snack the night away—the choice is yours.
Wine enthusiasts enjoy Wine Wednesdays before one of three performances throughout the season. June 26, July 10 & August 14
Two matinee performances are designated Family Days, encouraging a new generation of young theatre patrons to discover Shakespeare and the Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park festival experience. Special pricing and kids’ activities are in effect July 14 & August 18.
Bard Pride Day returns for its second year, which includes early site access for special activities to celebrate Pride with the Bard Family on August 4.
Patrons seeking a less structured experience are invited to join us for a Relaxed Performance of Twelfth Night. June 30 at 2pm. This performance is also “Pay What You Will”.
Those seeking a deeper dive into the world of Shakespeare can attend a Bard Explored talk with Simon Fraser University’s Paul Budra on June 29, July 6, August 10 & August 17.
Discover more about Bard’s play from cast during Talkback Tuesdays in July and August, where performers will take part in free post-show discussions.
Every performance, audiences are invited to In A Nutshell, free pre-show talks providing short, informal introductions to the plays’ stories and characters.

The full season schedule is on the Bard on the Beach website. Tickets for the 35th season go on sale April 10, 2024 on the Bard website or from Bard’s Box Office at 604-739-0559.

Bard on the Beach gratefully acknowledges the corporate sponsors and donors who support and sustain the Festival and its programs. Sponsors include: BMO Financial Group (BMO Mainstage) and Paul and Darlene Howard (Howard Family Stage), along with Production Sponsors Lawson Lundell LLP (Twelfth Night), Odlum Brown (Hamlet), Polygon Homes (The Comedy of Errors), and Production Supporter the Pamela and David Richardson Family Foundation (Measure for Measure). Season Media Sponsors include the Vancouver Sun and Global BC, as well as many other valued sponsors and partners. Bard also thanks the City of Vancouver Cultural Services Department, the Vancouver Park Board, the Province of British Columbia, the BC Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continuing support.

About Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival

Bard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals. Established in 1990, Bard’s mission is to create transformational experiences through exceptional theatre, training and education opportunities that inspire, resonate, and promote the exchange of ideas. As well as its annual summer Festival, Bard offers year-round education and training programs for youth, adults and theatre professionals in its administrative home at the BMO Theatre Centre in Olympic Village as well as in schools and community facilities throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

Media release and image provided by Cynnamon Schreinert, Hartley PR.