Bard on the Beach 2013 Season-Tickets on Sale Now

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - April 8, 2013) - Bard on the Beach, Vancouver's signature summer theatre festival, returns to Vanier Park for its 24^th season from June 12 to September 14, 2013. Bard's 2013 productions showcase three of Shakespeare's most revered and popular plays, complemented by a Canadian play set in Shakespeare's era. Tickets for Bard's eagerly awaited 2013 season go on sale Monday, April 8.

Bard launches its season on the BMO Mainstage with its first preview performance on June 12. First up is the playful romantic comedy TWELFTH NIGHT, directed by Dennis Garnhum (Artistic Director, Theatre Calgary). Twelfth Night brings romance and intrigue, as everyone at Europe's What You Will Hotel and Spa seems to be falling in love with wrong person. Playing in repertory with Twelfth Night is the iconic Shakespearean tragedy, HAMLET, directed by Kim Collier (co-founder, Electric Theatre Company). In the great tragedy Hamlet, a troubled young man tries to make sense of a modern-day world where power still corrupts absolutely. In the intimate 240-seat Douglas Campbell Studio Stage tent, Vancouver's John Murphy directs an early-jazz-era version of the dark comedy, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, set in early-1900s New Orleans, with live jazz playing a featured role. In repertoire, Vancouver director & dramaturg Rachel Ditor helms Canadian playwright Timothy Findley's award-winning ELIZABETH REX, where the setting is Elizabethan England, as the great Queen meets up with Shakespeare's acting company the night before her traitorous lover is due to be executed. Notes Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze, "Vancouver audiences have told us they want to see us produce some non-Shakespearean works that complement his world and his themes; Elizabeth Rex fits that description perfectly."

Run dates and Special Events are as follows:

Twelfth Night - June 12 to September 14 (BMO Mainstage) - Opening Night June 26, 2013

Hamlet - June 13 to September 12 (BMO Mainstage) - Opening Night June 29, 2013

Measure For Measure - July 3 to September 13 (Studio Stage) - Opening Night July 11, 2013

Elizabeth Rex - July 5 to September 11 (Studio Stage) - Opening Night July 14, 2013

Bard Explored: Lecture Series - July 15 & 29, August 12 & 19

Bard Explored: Shakespeare's Rebel - Book launch and sword fight event - July 22

Bard-B-Q & Fireworks - Play plus sit-down salmon barbecue & fireworks viewing: July 27 & 31, August 3

Celebrating Red & White - Wine Tasting following the matinee performances and before the evening shows: August 17

Viva Verdi! (Opera & Arias) - UBC Opera Ensemble & members of Vancouver Opera Orchestra, hosted by Christopher Gaze: August 26 & September 2.

Bard on the Beach, Western Canada's largest professional Shakespeare company is led by Artistic Director Christopher Gaze. It presents its annual summer 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 stunning backdrop of mountains, sea and sky. Performances run Tuesdays through Sundays. Evening curtain is at 8pm, except Sunday evenings and from September 4 and onward, when curtain time is an hour earlier at 7pm. Matinees are presented on selected weekends and weekdays.

Ticket prices include all fees & taxes and are $43 (evenings) and $25 to $30 (previews, matinees and long weekend evenings) with a $25 Youth Rate (6-25 years, all performances). Prices for special events, groups and multi-play ticket package discounts can be found on the Bard website.

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) 1-877-739-0559 or order online through the Bard website.

Bard on the Beach gratefully acknowledges its major corporate sponsors: RE/MAX, Polygon, Sandhill, Lonetree Cider, BMO, Goldcorp, RBC, Starbucks and Emelle's Catering, plus other valued corporate supporters. Media sponsors are The Vancouver Sun, Global BC Television and CKNW AM980. Bard also thanks the City of Vancouver Cultural Services Department, the Vancouver Foundation, the BC Arts Council and the Province of BC for their continuing support.

2013 advance photography is now available on the Bard website.