The play’s the thing! June is Shakespeare season in Vancouver: Bard on the Beach brings up the curtain on multiple shows, and if that wasn’t ambitious enough, there’s also a production of Julius Caesar on Granville Island. Meanwhile, the Arts Club and The Cultch are closing their seasons with a bang. While the World Cup brings drama to the soccer pitch, here are six productions bringing comedy, tragedy and world-class theatrical chaos to the stage:
Never say ‘good luck’ on opening night to the cast of The Producers, which runs from June 3 to June 20, 2026 at Theatre in the Country in Langley.
The Producers
When: June 3-20
Where: Theatre in the Country, Langley
Tickets & Info: From $39.89 at theatreinthecountry.com
The remarkable Mel Brooks turns 100 this month, so what better commemoration than a production of his mega-wacky, hilarious showbiz musical with its signature tune, Springtime for Hitler? Theatre in the Country is a well-kept secret for many of us in the city, a thriving dinner theatre in Langley with a full season of substantial shows. See the play with or without dinner.
Jennifer Lines as Mrs. Page and Melissa Oei as Mrs. Ford in The Merry Wives of Windsor (2026).
The Merry Wives of Windsor
When: June 9-Sept. 19
Where: Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park
Tickets & Info: From $30 at bardonthebeach.org
Bard on the Beach opens its season with one of Shakespeare’s goofiest comedies: Falstaff, escaped from the Henry IV history plays, tries to seduce a couple of wives. Director Rebecca Northan sets the play in a Vancouver suburb. Mrs. Ford (Melissa Oei) and Mrs. Page (Jennifer Lines) are soccer moms in full FIFA spirit. Ashley Wright reprises the role of Falstaff from Bard’s 2012 Merry Wives.
Sophie’s Surprise 29th promises Vancouver’s summertime theatregoers a Cirque du Soleil-style extravaganza disguised as a surprise birthday party.
Sophie’s Surprise 29th
When: June 10-28
Where: York Theatre
Tickets & Info: From $44 at thecultch.com
The Cultch closes its season with high-flying comedy and chaos from the U.K., a Cirque du Soleil-style extravaganza disguised as a surprise birthday party. And you may get to play Sophie! The show has been a multi-year smash at the Edinburgh Fringe, called “funny, sexy and breathtaking” (The Scottish Sun), “thrilling” (The Guardian), “spectacularly fun and smart” (Broadway World).
Keith Alessi brings his hit off-Broadway show to PAL Studio Theatre from June 11 to 14, 2026.
Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life
When: June 11-14
Where: PAL Studio Theatre
Tickets & Info: $40 at westerngoldtheatre.org
Keith Alessi was a successful businessman when he was diagnosed with stage 3 esophageal cancer. In this modest, inspirational solo show, he tells the story of how it changed his life, turning him into an itinerant storyteller and banjo player. The show sold out off-Broadway and for three successive years at the Edinburgh Fringe. 100% of his ticket sales go to charities, this time to non-profit Western Gold Theatre.
Munish Sharma as Macbeth in Macbeth (2026).
Macbeth
When: June 11-Sept. 18
Where: Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park
Tickets & Info: From $30 at bardonthebeach.org
Bard on the Beach staged no Shakespearean tragedy last year, so this season’s Scottish Play this year is a must-see. Stephen Drover, whose excellent Hamlet was a highlight of Bard’s 2024 season, adapts and directs Shakespeare’s most intense drama with Munish Sharma as the man who would be Scotland’s King and Tess Degenstein his ambitious Lady.
The Play That Goes Wrong
When: June 18-Aug. 16
Where: Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island
Tickets & Info: From $39 at artsclub.com
The Arts Club closes its season with this hilarious backstage comedy, currently one of the most produced plays in North America, described as part Agatha Christie, part Monty Python. Everything that can go wrong — and more — does, when an amateur British theatre company tries to stage a 1920s murder mystery. Josh Epstein directs an A-list cast including Scott Bellis, Andrew McNee and Kelli Ogmundson.
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