Romeo and Juliet Featured in Limited Run in Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival’s 2022 Season

JULY 11, 2022, VANCOUVER, B.C. – Shakespeare’s beloved romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet joins the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival’s 33rd Season in Sen̓ákw/Vanier Park. Romeo and Juliet runs on the Howard Family Stage in the Douglas Campbell Theatre for a limited engagement from August 3 to September 24, 2022. Full details on all the Festival’s productions and events are available at bardonthebeach.org

Shakespeare spins a tragic and timeless story of Romeo and Juliet, two young people who fall deeply in love in spite of a bitter feud between their families. Their passion – and Juliet’s courage – are eternally moving and inspiring. And today more than ever, this play about “two households alike in dignity” becomes a hopeful reminder that with the power of love, even the world’s greatest divides can be healed. This classically-set production puts a new and unique focus on Juliet’s perspective.

Director Anita Rochon (Director, Cymbeline, 2014) begins the play inside the burial crypt where Juliet awakens beside Romeo. The story unfolds as seen through Juliet’s eyes as she remembers the sequence of events that have brought her and Romeo to their final moments. Ghazal Azarbad (Shakespeare in Love, 2019) and Daniel Fong portray Romeo and Juliet, with Jennifer Lines (Shakespeare in Love and The Taming of the Shrew, 2019) as Lady Capulet, Andrew McNee (The Taming of the Shrew and The Taming of the Shrew, 2019) as the Nurse, Ishan Sandhu as Paris, and Anita Wittenberg as Friar Laurence. Also in the cast:  Vickruck (Coriolanus, 2019) as Mercutio & the Apothecary, Angus Yam as Benvolio & Balthasar and Victor Dolhai as Tybalt & Friar John.

Set Designer Pam Johnson has recreated the burial crypt where the story begins and ends. Costume Designer Carmen Alatorre has reimagined Italian Renaissance styles with ethereal and elegant silhouettes. Composer and Musical Director Joelysa Pankanea creates an atmospheric soundscape blending music and the voices of the actors. Fight Director Jonathan Hawley Purvis, Lighting Designer Sophie Tang, Lighting Design Assistant Harika Xu, Set Design Assistant Ryan Cormack, Costume Design Assistant Alaia Hamer and Intimacy Director Lisa Goebel round out the production team. Production Stage Manager Jenny Kim is joined by Jennifer Stewart (Assistant Stage Manager) and Jessica Bournival (Apprentice Stage Manager). The Directing Apprentice for Romeo and Juliet is Sereana Malani with Directing Mentee Kelsey Kanatan Wavey. The production is sponsored by Polygon.

Performance details and Special Events for Romeo and Juliet are:

  • Romeo and Juliet runs Tuesdays through Sundays from August 3 to September 24 on Bard’s Howard Family Stage. Previews: August 3, 4, 5, 6, 7; OPENS: August 9.
  • Talkback Tuesdays feature a post-performance Q&A session with cast members. August 16, 23 & 30.
  • Exploring Romeo and Juliet brings together SFU’s Paul Budra for a wide-ranging conversation about the play and its themes, followed by an audience Q&A. Saturday, August 13, 11am.
  • Summer Camp program: Young people make Shakespeare their own, coached by professional actors. Romeo and Juliet session (ages 13-18) offered August 15-26, weekday mornings. Details and registration here.

Ticket prices (Regular Adult) include all fees & taxes and start at $27. Festival special events, group bookings and multi-play ticket package prices can be found online at bardonthebeach.org or by calling the

Bard Box Office at 604-739-0559 (daily – 12 noon to 6pm). Early booking is recommended for best seat selection (all seats are reserved) and because many performances sell out in advance.

Bard on the Beach gratefully acknowledges the corporate sponsors and donors who support and sustain the Festival and its programs. 2022 support comes from the Peter and Joanne Brown Foundation (Season Sponsor), BMO Financial Group (BMO Mainstage) and Paul and Darlene Howard (Howard Family Stage), along with Production Sponsors Lawson Lundell LLP (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), BlueShore Financial Group (Harlem Duet) and Polygon Homes (Romeo and Juliet); Season Media Sponsors The Vancouver Sun and Global BC, as well as many other valued sponsors and partners. Bard also thanks the City of Vancouver Cultural Services Department, the Vancouver Park Board, the Province of British Columbia, the B.C. Arts Council, Canadian Heritage, and the Canada Council for the Arts for their continuing support.   

About Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival

Bard on the Beach is one of Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare festivals. Established in 1990, Bard’s mission is to create transformational experiences through exceptional theatre, training and education opportunities that inspire, resonate, and promote the exchange of ideas. As well as its annual summer Festival, Bard offers year-round education and training programs for youth, adults and theatre professionals in its administrative home at the BMO Theatre Centre in Olympic Village as well as in schools and community facilities throughout the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.

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2022 Season photography is currently available on the Bard website.
Please contact Cynnamon Schreinert for password access, or for interviews.
Tel: 604-802-2733; email: [email protected]