Bard on the Beach 2027 Season Announcement
June to September 2027
Bard on the Beach’s 2027 Season celebrates Shakespeare through five productions that span romance, comedy, music, and imaginative new storytelling. From the joyous and colourful A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ‘70s Musical to a timeless and emotionally resonant Romeo and Juliet, audiences will experience two of Shakespeare’s most beloved stories playing in repertory on the BMO Mainstage. In the Douglas Campbell Theatre, the Canadian sensation Juliet: A Revenge Comedy brings an irreverent feminist sequel to Romeo and Juliet that has delighted audiences across North America, while the world premiere of Jessica B. Hill’s Eddie and Will explores the complex relationship between William Shakespeare and his younger brother. Also in the Douglas Campbell Theatre, Vern Thiessen’s acclaimed Shakespeare’s Will gives voice to Shakespeare’s wife, Anne, as she reflects on her unconventional marriage. Together, these five productions invite audiences to see Shakespeare in new ways—through music, laughter, romance, and stories that connect his world with our own.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: The ‘70s Musical
Adapted by Daryl Cloran and Kayvon Khoshkam
Love, mischief, and magic collide on the BMO Mainstage in Shakespeare’s most beloved comedy, reimagined in the ‘70s by the creators of Bard’s Beatles-infused hit As You Like It. Set in an enchanted forest where mischievous fairies toy with the hearts of four young lovers, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is brought into the vibrant world of the 1970s, where soul, rock, and the spirit of freedom create the perfect backdrop for Shakespeare’s celebration of love and transformation.
Featuring an unforgettable soundtrack of iconic hits from the decade, this joyful musical blends Shakespeare’s beloved comedy with the exuberance, colour, and optimism of the ‘70s. This production received rave reviews when it premiered at Citadel Theatre in Edmonton in 2025.
“… audiences will experience no shortage of surprises from 1970s pop culture references to impeccably timed song-and-dance numbers.” –Broadway World
Romeo and Juliet
On the BMO Mainstage, Bard presents a new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy. Romeo and Juliet embraces the elegance of a traditional setting while speaking directly to contemporary audiences. Two star-crossed lovers defy a bitter family feud to be together, but their secret marriage sets in motion a chain of events that will change both families forever.
Elegant design, Elizabethan silhouettes, and a timeless sense of place allow Shakespeare’s exquisite language and deeply human characters to take centre stage. Both intimate and epic, this Romeo and Juliet reveals the emotional immediacy of a story that has captivated audiences for more than four centuries.
Juliet: A Revenge Comedy
Created by Pippa Mackie and Ryan Gladstone
A Monster Theatre Production
What if Juliet refused to die? Trapped in an endless cycle of reliving her tragic ending, Juliet finally breaks free in search of the truth behind her fate. Along the way, she assembles a fearless team of Shakespeare’s most famous heroines to investigate why so many of them are destined for tragedy. Can they rewrite their stories, or are they doomed to repeat them forever?
A wildly inventive blend of sharp comedy, feminist satire, and Shakespearean mayhem, Juliet: A Revenge Comedy has become a sensation across Canada and throughout North America. Following its acclaimed tour, Bard is thrilled to welcome the production to Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park for an extended engagement.
“Award-winning evisceration of Shakespeare’s Verona tragedy.” —Orlando Weekly
“… an example of the new heights that can be achieved when we rethink tropes as old as time.” —Winnipeg Free Press
“… a delightful tale that’s equal parts feminist critique, Renaissance romp and bravura acting display… not to be missed.” —NOW Toronto
Eddie and Will
By Jessica B. Hill
In Association with The Necessary Angel Theatre Company, Toronto
Following the success of The Dark Lady, one of the standout productions of Bard’s 2025 Season, playwright Jessica B. Hill returns with a world premiere of a captivating new work.
Drawing inspiration from historical fact while weaving an imaginative fictional narrative, Eddie and Will explores the deeply personal relationship between William Shakespeare and his younger brother, Edmund (“Eddie”). Set in London at the height of Shakespeare’s success, the play follows Eddie, a struggling young actor, as he seeks refuge with his celebrated brother. As old wounds, family secrets, and competing ambitions surface, the brothers are forced to confront the bonds that unite them and the choices that have driven them apart—and what it means for Eddie to live in the shadow of genius.
Shakespeare’s Will
By Vern Thiessen
Written by award-winning Canadian playwright Vern Thiessen, Shakespeare’s Will is a powerful one-woman play that gives voice to Anne, the wife of William Shakespeare. Holding her husband’s unread will on the afternoon of his funeral, Anne reflects on their unconventional 26-year marriage, William’s long absences in London, and the life she built apart from him.
From her free-spirited youth to her transformation into a fiercely independent mother, Anne recounts a life shaped by isolation and the devastating loss of their son, Hamnet. Shakespeare’s Will offers an intimate, funny, and deeply human portrait of the woman behind one of history’s most celebrated figures and asks what it means to be remembered—and forgotten.
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