In his memoir, The Road to Bard, Bard on the Beach founder Christopher Gaze recounts a life in the theatre, sharing vivid stories of acting, fundraising, leadership and community building, revealing with warmth and humour how a bold vision grew into one of Canada’s great theatre companies.
Christopher Gaze is best known as the Founder and Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival, which celebrates its thirty-seventh season in 2026. He hosts the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s popular Tea & Trumpets series and also their annual Traditional Christmas concerts.
Christopher plays a leading role in British Columbia as an advocate for the arts in general, and his passionate dedication to Bard on the Beach has fuelled its growth into one of the largest professional theatre companies in Canada, drawing a total of two and a half million patrons since 1990.
2026 is also the year that Christopher’s memoir has been published—titled The Road to Bard: A Legacy of Shakespeare on Canada’s West Coast.
His many honours include The Order of Canada (CM), Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE), The Order of British Columbia (OBC), Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal, Honorary Doctorates from UBC & SFU, the Mayor’s Arts Award for Theatre, and the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
