Student Group Bookings

Elementary, middle, and secondary students ages 6 and up from schools or home learning groups are eligible for Student Group Rates to our Student Matinees. Reduced rate options for our other performances are available; please contact the Education Coordinator for more information. 

We would love to perform more for students, but as an outdoor summer festival we are extremely limited in what we can offer to schools in June and September. We invite school groups who can’t attend one of our Student Matinees to take advantage of our regular Group rates or Global BC Youth Rate to come to a regularly scheduled performance during our Festival. 

Many teachers have told us that it is difficult to organize a field trip that runs outside of school hours, and we hear you! However, to comply with labour union regulations, 1 pm is the earliest we can offer our Student Matinees. 

We prefer not to make general age recommendations for our productions because we recognize the uniqueness of each child, family, and community. The plays portray a wide range of human experiences, and while we’re delighted to welcome student groups to the Festival, our productions are created for a general audience. As you consider which productions might be appropriate for your students, start with the content of the play. You can read Shakespeare’s plays and plot summaries for free through the website of the Folger Shakespeare Library. Our team is happy to answer any questions you may have about the content of the plays, as well as the settings, casting, adaptations, and content of our productions.

Our vision, values, mission and our company commitments are great places to read more about our approach to Shakespeare. If you have specific concerns regarding your students or school community, please feel free to reach out to the Education Coordinator. 

Although there is no deadline for requesting student group tickets, we recommend submitting your request as early as possible, beginning February 25. Our Student Matinee performances are in high demand, and many of them sell out.

If you’re not yet sure of your numbers, you can always request tickets now and adjust your numbers later. Adjustments may be made to your booking before your final payment is due, approximately 3 weeks before your performance date. Just remember that your deposit is non-refundable! If you drop more than 50% of your seats, we cannot issue a refund on your deposit payment. Additional seats are subject to availability, and it might not be possible for us to book additional seats in the same section of the theatre as your original booking.

For last-minute requests (within 1 week of a performance), please contact the Education Coordinator directly. 

We prefer payment by Electronic Funds Transfer or credit card. If neither option is available to you, we will accept payment by cheque. Please note that payments submitted by cheque must be postmarked by the date specified on your invoice. Extra time will be given to groups that are paying by credit card or EFT. If you have questions, please contact the Education Coordinator for support. 

We keep schools on a waiting list and contact them if spaces become available. There may be tickets available for other Student Matinees dates, so it’s worth checking with us. We also invite students to attend the Festival at any other time throughout the season at the Global BC Youth Rate (Please note: infants and children under 6 years of age are not permitted, and patrons under 14 must be accompanied by an adult). 

We strongly suggest booking your transportation as soon as you receive confirmation that your tickets have been booked. Buses are often in high demand in June and September, so it’s best to book early. Alternatively, Bard is accessible by public transportation and private vehicles.

Unfortunately, we do not currently tour our productions. However, we offer other in-person and virtual programs for schools both inside and outside the Lower Mainland through Bard Education.

We highly recommend checking out A Shakesperience, our FREE 60-minute film that introduces students to the many words and worlds of Shakespeare, inviting them to explore how Shakespeare resonates for them today.

To find out more about Bard Education’s programs, please click here or email [email protected].

You may request as many tickets to a Student Matinee as you like; however, in the interest of fairness, we may limit individual group sizes for performances with high demand. 

All payments are non-refundable.* We understand that students can be unpredictable and that your numbers may change, however, as a not-for-profit organization, we rely on our ticket sales.

If your numbers change before your final payment, we can decrease the number of seats in your booking and adjust your balance accordingly. Please note that if you drop more than 50% of your seats, we cannot issue a refund on your deposit payment. If you need more seats, we can add tickets to your order, subject to availability. To adjust your order, please contact the Education Coordinator.

*The only exception to this policy is in the case of student illness. Please see our Festival Safety Plan for details and contact the Education Coordinator with your situation. 

We will do our best to fulfill requests for additional tickets at any time, based on availability. Please be aware, it might not be possible for us to book additional seats in the same section of the theatre as the original booking.

All payments are non-refundable. If you would like to reduce the number of tickets in your booking, this must be done before your final payment has been made. Please also consider that if you drop more than 50% of your tickets, your 50% deposit payment is not refundable.

To adjust your order, please contact the Education Coordinator. 

There are a limited number of performances for schools, so it may not be possible to move groups into a different performance. If we have the capacity to do so, you may be able to make a one-time change before your final payment date. Please inquire with the Education Coordinator. 

We recommend one adult chaperone for every 15 students attending. To help with this, we provide one complimentary chaperone ticket for every 15 student tickets purchased.

We also provide complimentary tickets for Education Assistants who will be supporting a student during the show.

Additional adult tickets can be booked at the regular group rate (discount of approximately 15% off a regularly priced ticket). Please contact the Education Coordinator for more information. 

Yes! As with other school groups, students up to Grade 12 will receive tickets at the Student Group rate. Bard will provide 1 free chaperone ticket for every 15 students in a group. All other adults included in the booking will receive tickets at the Group rate. EA/Support workers who are attending the performance to support a student with access needs will receive a complimentary ticket. Please note that, in consideration of the actors and other patrons, infants and children under 6 will not be admitted, except for Family Days (all ages welcome). 

We do not mail tickets to student group. They are only available for collection from the Box Office on the day of the performance. This is to prevent any misplaced tickets, which can cause difficulties and delays for large student groups and may cause your students to miss parts of the performance. 

We generally seat groups together; however, it may sometimes be necessary to split groups into different sections to better accommodate accessibility needs or to provide groups with more central seating. If this is something you’re interested in, please let us know on your request form. Our shows use reserved seating, so we require that you sit in the specific seats assigned to you and that chaperones sit among the students.

Yes! We encourage and foster an open and welcoming environment for patrons with disabilities. Please indicate on your booking request form if anyone in your group will need accessible, ground-floor seating or other accommodations. That way, we will be able to reserve your seats and provide the best experience for your students. If you have any questions about accessibility at Student Matinees, please contact the Education Coordinator. 

Our concession is open one hour before the show and during intermission. The concession accepts cash, debit, and all major credit cards. We also allow outside food and non-alcoholic drinks on our site. Students are welcome to bring their own food into the Village, where there are a limited number of picnic tables and benches where they can eat. Out of consideration of others, we ask that everyone please refrain from eating in the theatres. Be sure to arrive in time for students to eat before the show begins. 

The best options for bus parking are the boat-launch lot behind (north of) our Festival site or the lot outside the Museum of Vancouver and the H.R. MacMillan Space. Please check our Directions & Parking page or EasyPark for available parking rates and options.