All the World's a Stage

A celebration of the twenty-eight-year history of Western Canada’s most illustrious Shakespeare festival.

Over the summer of 1990, six thousand Vancouverites flocked into a rented tent at Vanier Park to watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was the inaugural production of what would become one of the city’s most popular and enduring yearly cultural events, the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival. Twenty-five years after Bard’s debut, the company had an operating budget of almost $6 million, and attendance had ballooned to nearly 100,000 for the season. Today it is undoubtedly one of the most successful theatre companies in the country.

Bestselling author and long-time Bard aficionado Jayne Seagrave goes behind the scenes to discover what makes the festival tick. The story of Bard on the Beach unfolds in five “acts” highlighting the people, history, growth, and future of this unique theatre company and features dozens of full-colour photographs of sumptuous sets, elaborate costumes, tireless volunteers, actors in mid-soliloquy, and more. All the World’s a Stage is a stunning, informative, and entertaining keepsake for Bard on the Beach fans new and old.