Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival

The 2025 Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival will return to Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park in Vancouver from June to September, 2025. The 2025 Season will include four dynamic productions including Much Ado About Nothing, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] (Again), and The Dark Lady.

“We’re thrilled to announce our 2025 Season,” said Christopher Gaze, Bard Founding Artistic Director. “Whether you’re a committed Shakespeare fan or have never been to the theatre before, we are confident you’ll find something to delight and inspire you. Our diverse Season will make you laugh, teach you something new, or maybe even convert the Shakespeare agnostic into Shakespeare lovers. We are thrilled with the depth of talent we’ve been able to secure to bring these tales, both timeless and new, to the stage for our audiences.”

On the BMO Mainstage it’s a new production of Much Ado About Nothing, packed with Shakespeare’s wittiest wordplay, romance, and intrigue. It will play in repertory with Shakespeare’s comedy of love and disguise, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, performed with a unique ‘80s musical twist. In the Douglas Campbell Theatre, two productions will play in repertory:  the company debut of the global smash-hit The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again], and the intriguing new Canadian work The Dark Lady, by Jessica B. Hill.

ON STAGE AT BARD IN 2025

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING—BMO Mainstage
“As merry as the day is long.” Two of Shakespeare’s most tumultuous couples—sparring singles Beatrice and Benedick, and young lovers Claudio and Hero—discover all is not as it seems in an idyllic town recovering from war. Will the truth win in this mischievous game of love? Secret love, courtship, and marriage intertwine with darker themes of warfare, deception, and mischief in Much Ado About Nothing. Romance, wit, and mistaken identities power this new staging of Shakespeare’s beloved comedy full of colourful characters, passionate poetry, and Shakespeare’s wittiest wordplay.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA—BMO Mainstage

OH, YEAH! It’s The Two Gentlemen of Verona—with a twist! This nostalgic visit to the ‘80s features the music of that candy-coloured decade, from unforgettable dance hits to tear-jerking ballads, as it celebrates friendship and the foolhardy ways young love makes us behave. Sent to court to learn to be “perfect gentlemen,” Valentine and Proteus are derailed by their attraction to Silvia, the ruler’s daughter. Adding to the fun, the role of Crab will be played by an actual dog, the only dog role in the Shakespearean canon.

THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (ABRIDGED) [REVISED] [AGAIN]—Douglas Campbell Theatre

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) [Revised] [Again] has been loved the world over, and now this irreverent, fast-paced romp makes its Bard on the Beach debut. Three players present an acclaimed (and hilarious) [and irresistible] sprint through all of Shakespeare’s canonical plays (plus the sonnets!). It’s a wild ride through the Bard’s histories, tragedies, and comedies that will leave you helpless with laughter. As The Today Show says, “If you like Shakespeare, you’ll like this show. If you hate Shakespeare, you’ll love this show!” By Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield; new revisions by Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.

THE DARK LADY—Douglas Campbell Theatre

Celebrated Canadian playwright and actor Jessica B. Hill’s The Dark Lady reclaims a story that was almost lost; that of Emilia Bassano, an intriguing multiracial, trilingual woman who was also a talented musician and England’s first female published poet. Is Bassano the “Dark Lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets? This witty and intimate production brings the two poets together in a complex love story about art, collaboration, desire, and ambition. The dialogue “cracks like a whip” (Winnipeg Free Press) and helps us both understand and challenge our love of Shakespeare through a powerful exploration of love and legacy.