Bard in the Barracks

Bard in the Barracks 2023 Season to feature Much Ado About Nothing and Coriolanus

Bard in the Barracks will return to Fredericton’s downtown streets and the sylvan forest of Odell Park for an exciting and diverse two-show 2023 season that will feature one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies, Much Ado About Nothing, and his final tragedy, Coriolanus.

In Much Ado About Nothing, a group of soldiers return from war and are welcomed by the family of a wealthy governor. Romantic misunderstandings ensue, with plenty of humour, music, and unexpected betrayal along the way. Featuring two very different love stories and a proto-feminist heroine, this comedy is light-hearted on the surface but contains hidden depths. Directed by Tilly Jackson, this production will be set in 1920s Europe, full of glittering wit and glamour, and featuring the natural beauty of Odell Park.

Those who enjoyed last year’s production of Julius Caesar will also want to mark their calendars for Coriolanus, a prequel of sorts to Caesar that tells the story of an earlier period in Rome’s history. Directed by Len Falkenstein and unfolding like Julius Caesar in an immersive contemporary setting both on the downtown streets and online, Coriolanus delves similarly into politics, depicting another pitched battle for control of Rome that ends in revenge and tragedy. After the war hero and general Coriolanus is thrust uneasily into the role of politician, he is suspected by democrats of harbouring authoritarian tendencies and exiled from Rome. Enraged, he decides to join forces with Rome’s enemies and brings the city to its knees.

Much Ado About Nothing and Coriolanus will run in repertory from June 23-July 9. Performance schedule and ticket information on the way later in May.