TWELFTH NIGHT to Open at Shipyards Amphitheatre

Commemorating 10 years of live theatre excellence, Theatre Georgian Bay will bring the music, love, and laughter of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to the Shipyards Amphitheatre. The company's Bard on the Bay event will revisit its first production with a reimagined, 1930s-inspired take on Twelfth Night. 

Bard on the Bay has become a staple of summer experiences in Collingwood, and this year marks 10 years since Theatre Georgian Bay first tread the boards on stage at the Shipyards Amphitheatre. Opening July 23 and running until August 3, the cast of Twelfth Night is set to deliver a truly celebratory production filled with music, mistaken identity, and hilarious hijinks to feed the creative souls of audience members of all ages! Whether you are a seasoned theatregoer or new to Shakespeare, all are welcome at Bard on the Bay. 

Theatre Georgian Bay was founded in 2016 by twelve passionate artists from across the region who were inspired to create classical and Canadian theatre. Since then, the company has gone on to produce annual works by Shakespeare, a Canadian musical premiere, new works from established and emerging Canadian artists, cabaret events and more. The current collective is made up of seven dedicated professional arts workers, including Theatre Collingwood's Associate Producer Anne Raciunas. 

"Theatre Georgian Bay burst onto the arts scene with a production of Twelfth Night in the summer of 2016" said Raciunas.  "Our 10th Anniversary felt like the perfect time to mount a reimagined production that celebrates the continued success of Bard on the Bay and acknowledges how far we've come.  Much like the characters in Twelfth Night, everything that we do for our community, we do in the name of love!"

Inspired by the passion of the company's inaugural production staged a decade ago, this summer's production of Twelfth Night is a completely reimagined experience set in Muskoka in the 1930s. Shipwreck survivor Viola finds herself far from home and disguises herself as a man named Cesario so that she can enter into the service of the local Duke Orsino.  The Duke longs to woo the Countess Olivia, and dispatches the disguised Viola to deliver love letters to the Countess.  The plan backfires in classic Shakespearean fashion as Olivia falls for Cesario, whose heart now belongs to Orsino.  With musical clowns, misguided paramours, and plenty of fools added into the mix, Twelfth Night is a legendary crowd pleaser. This production of Twelfth Night is a 90 minute, family-friendly event that is suitable for all ages.

Bard on the Bay has become a greatly anticipated summer event that hosts hundreds of patrons from across Grey-Bruce, Simcoe County, and the GTA every summer. Most recent Bard on the Bay productions include The Winter's Tale, Much Ado About Nothing, The Tempest, and Romeo & Juliet. Paired with the breathtaking backdrop of Georgian Bay, the continued success of Bard on the Bay is also tied to the company's mission to create theatrical experiences for the community that are both financially and contextually accessible. Theatre Georgian Bay presents these classic works with an emphasis on the text and staged to be enjoyed by patrons regardless of their Shakespeare experience. To help alleviate any financial stress that may stand between individuals and culture, Theatre Georgian Bay operates Bard on the Bay under a Pay-What-You-Will admission by donation system (with a suggested donation of $25).

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