Because 400 years on, the stories still land.
Shakespeare wrote for packed, noisy crowds who paid a penny to stand, and he gave them love, revenge, ambition, bad decisions and very good jokes. Our audiences come for the same things.
A note from our president
People love Shakespeare because his stories are timeless, his characters are deeply human, and his themes transcend generations. Love, ambition, jealousy, betrayal, power, identity and the search for meaning are just as relevant today as they were 400 years ago. His language is poetic, yet remarkably accessible, filled with unforgettable one-liners and quotes that capture the complexities of life in just a few words.
There is also something magical about the familiarity of Shakespeare: we recognize the stories, the characters and the words, yet every production brings something completely different. The same play can make us laugh, cry, think or see the world through a new lens, depending on who tells the story and how it is brought to life. Shakespeare is familiar, yet never the same; timeless, yet always relevant.
Madison McArthur, President
Shakespeare’s language is hiding in plain sight, in phrases people use every day. These ones first turned up, or caught on, in his plays.
Romeo and Juliet
Othello
Macbeth
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Henry V
Othello
Romeo and Juliet
Two feuding families become two rival gangs in New York. Same doomed romance, better dance numbers.
The Taming of the Shrew
The plot moves to a 1990s high school, sharp tongues and all.
Hamlet
A prince, a murdered father, a scheming uncle and a ghostly visit, with more singing animals.
“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.”
Jaques, As You Like It · on stage this summer
That’s why we play outdoors, at prices everyone can manage, with casts from here in the Fraser Valley.