Ben Elliott is a man of many talents. Not only has he acted with us for five seasons, but once again, he has taken on the role of Musical Director – this time for Daryl Cloran’s adaptation of Love’s Labour’s Lost.

If you’ve visited us in Vanier Park before, you know that the Bard Boutique in the Village is home to a collection of unique items – Shakespearean themed and not – including beautiful handmade jewellery from local designers. New to the Bard Boutique this year is a line of jewellery from BuenoStyle.

If you’re a fan of Shakespeare, you won’t want to miss this season’s production of King Lear. As a co-production with Theatre Calgary, the Company is comprised of the best of the best from Vancouver, Calgary and beyond. While you’ll likely recognize Bard favourites such as Colleen Wheeler and Jennifer Lines, there are some new faces on the BMO Mainstage, including Nathan Schmidt.

This season we’re lucky to have a fantastic Company of actors, both returning and new. Bard is a unique experience for any actor, as both casts perform two shows at the same time – not to mention it all happens to be outside in a tent!

With just over a week to go until we open our 26^th Season, things are in full swing down in Vanier Park. If you’ve been in the area lately, you’ve likely seen our signature red and white tents popping up in preparation. It takes a whole team of people to put the Festival together, and many months of work are involved to create the finished product that you see when you come to enjoy our productions.

William Shakespeare would have been 451 this year, which is cause enough for celebration. We wouldn’t be who we are without him, so his birthday is an occasion we dearly love! We’ll be celebrating at the Fairmont Pacific Rim at Bill’s Birthday Breakfast, kicking off the season with Bard on the Beach supporters. Stage your own celebration with some of our favourite ways to mark Shakespeare’s birthday.

Excitement flooded the theatre community today when Bard on the Beach unveiled its plans to construct a new stage in the Burrard Inlet. Now in its 26th year, the Shakespeare Festival has become an iconic summer tradition, bringing in a record 100,000 patrons over its 2014 season. Rising attendance has indicated a need for expansion but the site, bounded by water on two sides, is limited by its geographical location.

“At first we joked about it,” laughs Artistic Director Christopher Gaze. “We’d say the only place to expand was to go into the water – literally!”

Shakespeare’s plays can be seen performed around the world, and there are so many different interpretations of his work – that’s part of what makes his plays so enjoyable! At Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival we’ve been known to have some new interpretations of our own, and this season, Scott Bellis will be directing a reimagining* of his successful production of The Comedy of Errors done in steampunk style. What is steampunk, you ask?

Bard’s tents may be down for the season, but you don’t need to go without your Shakespeare fix. The National Theatre of Great Britain has come up with a great series called National Theatre Live, now in its fourth season, which gives theatre fans all over the world a chance to take in its fantastic productions through film at movie theatres.