An actor with ties to Coquitlam and Burnaby will take on the prize role of Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Sarah Roa, who grew up in Coquitlam and now lives in Burnaby, plays the mischievous fairy in the Shakespearean comedy that’s part of the 33rd season of the Bard on the Beach in Vancouver.
Running on the BMO Mainstage at Vanier Park until Sept. 24, the show starts previews on June 8 and follows four young lovers and a troupe of actors into an enchanted forest.
There, they discover their identities and true loves.
"It’s thrilling to open our festival with A Midsummer Night’s Dream as we return to the park," said Bard artistic director Christopher Gaze in a news release.
"Dream was the very first production for the festival back in 1990, and it seems fitting to have it be our signature production as we return to our beloved Bard tents after two dark summers. This joyful story is perfect for all ages; it’s full of imagination, love and laughter and I believe it will lift the spirits of everyone who sees it.
"And we’re creating some unusual production elements to surprise and delight our audiences."
Roa, a Gleneagle Secondary graduate, has a theatre diploma from Douglas College and a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in acting from UBC.
Her credits include In Wonderland (Alberta Theatre Projects); The Turn of the Screw (Aenigma Theatre); Robinson Crusoe + Friday (Axis Theatre); The Drowning Girls (Theatre NorthWest); and Pride and Prejudice (Arts Club).
Meanwhile, Coquitlam’s Richard Newman will also be in the play to portray Peter Quince, a carpenter with an ambition to put on a play for the nobility of Athens.
A stage actor for more than 50 years, Newman is a veteran with Bard in the Beach having played Shylock (2011) and Sir Andrew Aguecheek (2013) among other roles.
In other theatrical venues, Newman has appeared as King Lear, Claudius, Hortensio, Benvolio, Malvolio, a Dromio, Brabantio and The Scottish General.
Tickets for Bard on the Beach start at $27.
You can visit the Bard of the Beach website for more information or call the box office at 604-739-0559.
