The 2025 Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival will return to Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park in Vancouver from June to September, 2025.
Bard on the Beach is Western Canada’s largest not-for-profit, professional Shakespeare Festival. Presented in Vancouver’s Sen̓ákw/Vanier Park against a spectacular backdrop of mountains, sea and sky, the Festival offers Shakespeare plays, related dramas and special events in two modern performance tents from June through September, with an average attendance of 100,000. The Festival is known for its signature blend of high-quality artistic programming and a welcoming, informal experience for local residents and visitors from around the world.
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) , and The Dark Lady.
On the BMO Mainstage it’s a new production of Much Ado About Nothing directed by Johnna Wright, 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, directed by Dean Paul Gibson and performed with a unique ‘80s 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) , directed by Mark Chavez; and the intriguing new Canadian work The Dark Lady, written by Jessica B. Hill and directed by Moya O’Connell.
“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.”
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