Christopher Gaze, the founder and artistic director of Bard on the Beach, has a knack for drawing people into the world of Shakespeare. As the Vancouver festival prepares for its 37th season, Gaze is releasing his memoir, The Road to Bard: A Legacy of Shakespeare on Canada's West Coast, on June 2.
A Life in Theatre
Now 74, Gaze recounts his journey from a childhood in England, where supportive parents helped him land his first professional acting job at age six in a porridge commercial, to training at the Bristol Old Vic, and eventually moving to Canada. Along the way, he worked as a ranch hand in Montana before founding Bard on the Beach, now one of Canada's largest and most successful theatre festivals.
Shakespeare's Enduring Influence
Gaze often uses a Shakespeare party trick to engage audiences. He recites Bernard Levin's essay Quoting Shakespeare, highlighting how the Bard's language permeates modern speech. When asked for a Shakespeare quote, he turns to Sonnet 18, 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' and Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech.
'The arts are really what makes life worth living, and that's my sort of mantra,' Gaze says. 'It's so enriching for the city. It's an amenity. It is part of life that we mustn't let go.'
The 37th Season
Bard on the Beach runs from June 9 to Sept. 19 at Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park. This year's productions include The Merry Wives of Windsor and Macbeth on the BMO Mainstage, and Goblin: Oedipus and Antigone in the Douglas Campbell Theatre.
Writing the Memoir
Gaze decided to write the memoir during the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the festival to cancel two seasons. 'I wanted the story of it — how it all began and how it's been sustained — to be told by me,' he explains. Despite his extensive acting career, writing was a new challenge. 'Not that I recall,' he says with a laugh.
Gaze has performed in over 25 Bard productions and remains the festival's artistic director. His memoir offers an intimate look at his life and the legacy of Shakespeare on Canada's West Coast.
