Bard on the Beach announces 35th season, with highlights including “Twelfth Night” and “Hamlet”

by Mike Usinger on April 8th, 2024 at 11:12 AM

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Bard on the Beach has announced its 35th season, with the BMO Mainstage featuring productions of Twelfth Night and Hamlet, and the Howard Family Stage hosting The Comedy of Errors and Measure for Measure.

With direction by Diana Donnelly, Twelfth Night will feature original music by Vancouver singer-songwriter Veda Hille—known for both her solo records and as one of the main creative forces of the wildly successful East Van Panto. The production promises a “topsy-turvy carnival world packed with romance and laughs, adventure, and self-discovery.”

One of the most famous plays in Shakespeare’s extensive repertoire, Hamlet is being adapted and directed by Stephen Drover, who aims to challenge audiences with a rumination on love, loyalty, loss, and old-fashioned vengeance.

The Comedy of Errors will feature direction by Rebecca Northan, who helmed the innovative Goblin:Macbeth. It plays in repertory on the Howard Family Stage with Jivesh Parasram’s freewheeling adaptation of Measure for Measure, which is set in a contemporary Vienna where “coercion and hypocrisy reaches absurdist new heights.”

In announcing the new season in a release, Bard on the Beach founding artistic director Christopher Gaze says: “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.”

One of the city’s premiere arts events, Bard on the Beach’s mainstage productions will run from June 11 to September 21 in Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park. The Howard Family Stage shows go July 2 to September 21. Tickets will go on sale April 10.

Special events during this year’s run will include Bard Fireworks Nights (July 20, 24, 27), Wine Wednesdays (June 26, July 10, August 14), and Bard Pride Day (August 4). There will also be Talkback Tuesdays, a “pay what you will” relaxed performance on August 4, and in-depth Bard Explored talks with Simon Fraser University’s Paul Budra on June 29, July 6, August 10, and August 17.