Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival May 31, 2007

Artistic Director Christopher Gaze is pleased to announce the playbill for Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival’s 18th season which runs May 31 through September 23, 2007.

In the 520-seat Mainstage tent, the Festival will present THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, Shakespeare’s boisterous comedy where ill-tempered Kate and resolute Petruchio go head-to-head in a riotous battle of the sexes. Stratford’s award-wining Miles Potter returns after a five year hiatus to direct …Shrew and situates it in the 1880s Wild West, a colourful world of Macho men and strong-minded women.
Playing in repertory with …Shrew is ROMEO AND JULIET, the famous tale of star-crossed lovers caught up in the violence of a family feud. Bard’s imaginative Artistic Associate Dean Paul Gibson places this passionate and tragic tale in a simple contemporary setting that incorporates ballet-like silhouettes and marries the words with movement. [Note: subject to rehearsal choices, may contain partial nudity.]

In the intimate 240-seat Douglas Campbell Studio Stage tent, the passionate Roman drama JULIUS CAESAR makes its Bard debut. This tale of treachery and idealism, which lead to the betrayal of a great Roman leader, is directed by Touchstone Theatre’s respected Artistic Director, Katrina Dunn. She has placed the play in a Renaissance setting at the time of Galileo, incorporating illusions to both the Elizabethan and classical eras.

TIMON OF ATHENS rounds out the Studio programming. One of Vancouver’s most creative directing talents, James Fagan Tait, gives life to this rarely-staged morality play about a generous man who is abandoned by his so-called friends once his money is gone. Tait and composer Joelysa Pankanea have adapted Timon… into an ensemble production with all original music and movement and set it in modern Greece.

Run dates and Special Events are as follows:
The Taming of the Shrew – May 31 to September 23, (Mainstage tent)
Romeo and Juliet – June 13 to September 22, (Mainstage tent)
Julius Caesar – June 28 to September 21, (Studio Stage tent)
Timon of Athens – July 11 to September 20, (Studio Stage tent)
Shakespeare Forum – Shattered Illusions, New Perspectives (led by SFU’s Paul Budra): July 9
Bard-B-Q & Fireworks – Play and Salmon Barbecue followed by Celebration of Light Fireworks: July 25 & 28, Aug. 1 & 4
Celebrating Red & White – Play plus Wine Tasting either before or after the show: August 18
A Merry Evening of Opera – Members of Vancouver Opera Orchestra and UBC Opera Ensemble: Aug. 20 & 27, Sept. 3

Western Canada’s largest professional Shakespeare company, Bard on the Beach presents its festival in Kitsilano’s Vanier Park adjacent to Vancouver’s downtown core. The productions are staged in open-ended tents on the waterfront against a spectacular backdrop of mountains, sea and sky. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays. Evening curtain is at 8:00 pm, except Sunday evenings and in September when it is 7:00 pm. Matinees are scheduled on both weekends and weekdays. Play ticket prices are $31.00 (evenings) and $17.00 to $26.50 (previews & matinees) including taxes. The performance schedule and information can be found on the Bard website at www.bardonthebeach.org. For more information and tickets, call 604-739-0559 or toll free at 877-739-0559, or order on-line through the website.

Official Website: http://www.bardonthebeach.org