Bard on the Beach 2009

Posted on 08. Apr, 2009 by BCXS in BC, Featured, Vancouver

VANCOUVER, B.C….. Artistic Director Christopher Gaze is pleased to announce that Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival’s 20th Anniversary season will run May 28 to September 26, 2009 under the familiar red & white tents in Vancouver’s Vanier Park.

The season will open with the powerful tragedy OTHELLO enjoying its first staging at the Festival during its two-decade history. In the 520-seat Mainstage tent, Dean Paul Gibson returns after a year’s hiatus (Romeo and Juliet 2007) to stage this great tale of jealousy and deception. The production will be reflected through the silhouette of the Italian Renaissance. Playing in repertory with Othello in the big tent is the deliciously farcical THE COMEDY OF ERRORS. David Mackay, who conceived last season’s hugely popular 1920’s version of Twelfth Night, will direct. This hilarious comedy will be set in the Elizabethan period with a tongue-in-cheek approach to all things Shakespearean. In the intimate 240-seat Douglas Campbell Studio Stage tent, Rachel Ditor makes her Bard directorial debut to stage the romantic drama ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL. Ms Ditor will give the play a fresh take by placing it in a Victorian setting where sensuous passions hide behind a façade of moral propriety. Rounding out the Studio Stage program is the great history play RICHARD II directed by Bard Artistic Associate Christopher Weddell. The first play in Bard’s 3-year THE KINGS History Cycle, Richard II will be rooted in the medieval period but stylized with modern overtones.

Shakespeare’s stories and themes still resonate across the centuries. In Othello, innocent love falls victim to jealousy, prejudice, deceit and betrayal. When two sets of twins cause villagers to see double in The Comedy of Errors, mistaken identities and merry misunderstandings result in hilarious chaos. In All’s Well That Ends Well a rejected bride uses determination and ingenuity to pursue her husband’s love. Richard II reveals how a king’s foolish decisions cause once loyal counsellors to turn against him.

Run dates and Special Events are as follows:

Othello – May 28 to September 25 (Mainstage tent)

The Comedy of Errors – June 10 to September 26 (Mainstage tent)

All’s Well That Ends Well – June 25 to September 19 (Studio Stage tent)

Richard II – July 8 to September 18 (Studio Stage tent)

Bard Expanded: Lecture Series – SFU’s Dr. Paul Budra gives insight into this year’s plays. June 14, July 5, 19, 26

Celebrating Red & White – Play plus Wine Tasting either before or after the show: August 15

Opera & Arias: Così fan tutté – Members of Vancouver Opera Orchestra & UBC Opera Ensemble: Aug. 31, Sept. 7 & 8

Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare company, Bard on the Beach presents its festival in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. The productions are staged in open-ended tents on the waterfront against a spectacular backdrop of mountains, sea and sky. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays. Evening curtain is at 8:00 pm, except Sunday evenings and in September when it is 7:00 pm. Matinees are scheduled on selected weekends and weekdays. Play ticket prices are $34.00 (evenings) and $18.00 to $28.50 (previews & matinees) including taxes. Tickets go on sale March 16. Advance booking is recommended as many performances sell out in advance.

The performance schedule and information can be found on the Bard website at www.bardonthebeach.org. For more information and tickets, call 604-739-0559 or toll free at 1-877-739-0559, or order on-line through the website.

Bard on the Beach gratefully acknowledges Season Sponsor: Starbucks and Production Sponsors: Vancity, RE/MAX and Jaguar/Land Rover Canada. Media sponsors are The Vancouver Sun and Global Television. Calona Vineyards Artist Series is Official Winery, Rogers Chocolates is Official Ice Cream, and Emelle’s Catering is Official Caterer. Bard also thanks the City of Vancouver Cultural Services Department, the Province of British Columbia, and the BC Arts Council for their support.

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