Bard on the Beach presents some of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories in our theatres, but did you know that we’ve also played a part in a few romances off-stage as well?

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, we asked a few of our Members and Artistic Company members to tell us about how Bard set the scene for their own love stories, and we’re so excited to share their responses with you today!

Craig Erickson, Tess Degenstein, and Nathan Kay in The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] (2025) | From the Trailer for The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] by The Art Left Creative Group

Tess Degenstein and Nathan Kay
Bard Company Members, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] (2025)

“Being a couple working at Bard is completely idyllic and surreal. This last year we spent the summer biking to work one behind the other, then reciting poetry outside, sometimes to each other, sometimes as each other in the role we shared, and sometimes in a unitard. It’s a singular, silly, and very fortunate experience.” —Tess Degenstein

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Nancy McLean
Member, Volunteer, and Two-Time Wedding Officiant at Bard on the Beach

“If a couple asks me as an officiant where there would be a romantic place to be married, I tell them to meet me at Bard on the Beach. The setting is spectacular with the sparkling water beyond, gorgeous words, and music floating from the tents. Add a bit of poetry, Christopher Gaze reciting Shakespeare, and two people in love, and it had all that they needed. We were at a floral gate with birds flying overhead as I read the script and the couple said their vows. A note from Christopher in the register for posterity… and there was magic!”

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Kate Besworth and Charlie Gallant for Twelfth Night (2024) | Costume Design by Mara Gottler

Kate Besworth and Charlie Gallant
Bard Company Members, Twelfth Night (2024)

“It’s hard being married to the most beautiful and talented person I’ve ever met. It’s even harder to act onstage with her (The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, Shakespeare in Love, and Twelfth Night), star in her work (Done/Undone), or participate in workshops for her new plays (this summer’s Antigone)… but someone’s gotta do it. And there’s no place like Bard to make it happen. Some of our favourite memories and some of our greatest growth spurts as artists have come from our seasons working at Bard and we are both very much the theatre animals we are today because of Bard’s fostering of our careers.” —Charlie Gallant

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Heather Barr and Sara Vickruck
Bard Stage Manager and Company Member

“We met in 2019, when I was an Apprentice Stage Manager for the BMO Mainstage and Sara was performing in Coriolanus. I left bagels and cream cheese for Sara in the dressing room, and Sara then left homemade popsicles in the BMO Mainstage freezer for me. The flirting continued until we shared our first kiss at the Coriolanus opening party. In 2023, we got engaged at Bard on the Beach after a matinee performance of Romeo and Juliet, and then we got married in 2024.” —Heather Barr

A huge thank you to Tess and Nathan, Nancy, Kate and Charlie, and Heather and Sara for chatting with us!

We’re honoured to have played a part, however small, in these stories—because we’ve always believed that what makes theatre so magical is its ability to bring people together.