Individual play tickets to Bard on the Beach's 36th season go on sale April 9

Much Ado About Nothing and The Two Gentlemen of Verona are on the BMO Mainstage at the Shakespeare festival, on from June 10 to September 20

SPONSORED POST BY Bard on the Beach

Sheldon Elter (left) and Jennifer Lines in Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Emily Cooper

The 2025 Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival returns to Vancouver at Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park from June 10 to September 20, with individual tickets available April 9.

The festival’s 36th season features a blend of comedy, romance, and drama with unique twists, company debuts, and new Canadian work. Flex packs for multiple tickets are available now until individual tickets go on sale.

On the BMO Mainstage it’s a new production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Johnna Wright with additional text by Erin Shields, packed with Shakespeare’s wittiest wordplay. Two tumultuous couples discover all is not as it seems in an idyllic town recovering from war as romance intertwines with darker themes of warfare, deception, and mischief. It will run in repertory with Shakespeare’s comedy of love and disguise, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, directed by Dean Paul Gibson and performed with a unique ’80s twist. The story follows Valentine and Proteus, whose attempts to become perfect gentlemen are derailed by their attraction to the ruler’s daughter. Mainstage productions are on from June 10 to September 20.

Christopher Gaze. Photo by David Cooper

“From the classic to the cutting edge, our marvellous Canadian theatre talent will bring this season to life with love, laughter, profundity, and joy abounding,” Christopher Gaze, Bard on the Beach’s founding artistic director, shares in a release.

The Douglas Campbell Theatre will host two productions from July 1 to September 20, including the company debut of the global smash-hit The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again], written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield, with new revisions by Singer and Winfield. Mark Chavez directs the hilarious show in which three players sprint through all of Shakespeare’s canonical plays (plus the sonnets). There’s also the intriguing new Canadian work The Dark Lady, written by Jessica B. Hill and directed by Moya O’Connell, which reclaims the almost-lost story of multiracial, trilingual artist Emilia Bassano, who was the first woman in England to become a published poet.

Special events this year include firework nights, educational and family activities, relaxed performances, and Pride celebrations.

Visit Bard on the Beach to learn more.

Post sponsored by Bard on the Beach.

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