Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival continues its 29th Season in Vanier Park with the opening of Timon of Athens on the Howard Family Stage. A provocative study of loyalty, greed and modern values, Timon of Athens is directed by Meg Roe. Roe last directed at Bard in 2014, helming an exhilarating production of The Tempest;she also directed Will Eno’s Middletown for the Shaw Festival’s 2017 season.
Colleen Wheeler portrays Timon, a privileged woman and a member of the one per cent, in a modern-day city very much like Vancouver. Her generosity has no limits, but when she loses her entire fortune, will her community stand by her?
"We live in a time where all our bills are pending - spiritually, economically, environmentally, and societally – and the bills are piling up,” explains Roe. “Timon of Athens makes us consider who we might want to be when those bills come due. We are certainly in a time of interrogation, of reflection, of examination of our part in society and how it works, how it works on us. I think of Timon as a parable, but it’s up to you to fill in the moral at the end.” Roe also enthuses about the strength of the cast, a mix of Bard veterans and talented newcomers to the Festival, led by award-winning theatre actor Colleen Wheeler.
The Timon of Athens cast includes Patti Allan, Kate Besworth, Michelle Fisk, Marci T. House, Ming Hudson, Jennifer Lines, Moya O’Connell, Adele Noronha, Quelemia Sparrow, Sebastien Archibald and Joel D. Montgrand.
Dates of note for Timon of Athens include:
OPENING NIGHT – Tuesday July 10 at 7:30 pm
BARD-B-Q AND FIREWORKS – Saturday July 28 and Saturday August 4 at 6pm
TALKBACK TUESDAYS – July 17 and 24; August 14 and 21 at 7:30 pm
WINE WEDNESDAY – August 22 at 7:30 pm
CLOSING NIGHT – Sunday, September 9 at 7:30 pm
Ticket prices for all regular play performances start at $24 CAD. Early booking is recommended for best seat selection, as many performances sell out in advance. The full performance schedule, site information and play and special events details are on the Bard website at bardonthebeach.org. To book tickets, order online through the Bard website or call the Bard Box Office at 604-739-0559 or (toll free) 1-877-739-0559.
