Shakespeare by the Sea’s 2026 season kicks off with brand-new musical

The 2026 season of Shakespeare by the Sea is underway in Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park.

The season opened with the world premiere of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: A Fairy-tale Game-show Musical by Halifax-based playwright Dan Bray and composer Garry Williams.

“It’s a new take on the classic tale Beauty and the Beast. Full of twists and turns, and I don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll see some of what you might expect to see and a whole lot of surprises too,” said Drew Douris-O’Hara, Shakespeare by the Sea’s artistic director.

“Part of our grand tradition here at Shakespeare by the Sea is taking classic tales and putting a new spin on them. So, beauty and the beast is one that we’ve wanted to do for years and years and years.”

Shakespeare by the Sea has been producing family shows for 22 years and Douris-O’Hara says this year they had the right team to put this show together.

“We’ve got some of Halifax’s most incredible artists working on this team,” he said. “For our amazing set, which is designed by Brenda Duran, who just won a Theater Nova Scotia award just this past spring, and she’s back for her fourth season here in the park.”

The musical stars Seb Reade as Belle and Chris George as The Beast, plus an ensemble of six other actors.

“I’m playing Belle, who is a production assistant, a poor provincial production assistant who’s coming in to work on a reality TV show,” said Reade.

“She’s a big fan of the production company, and she meets The Bachelor, who is The Beast, and magic and chaos ensues.”

Reade says she was excited to get to work on a show that is being seen for the first time.

“The music is so good, the music is fantastic. I love to sing and dance, so getting to work on a new musical was really, really exciting,” she said.

“I met with the composer, and we sort of tailored things to my voice and that was a really cool opportunity.”

Douris-O’Hara says their play is being produced on one of the most beautiful stages in the world.

“We have the amazing gift of Point Pleasant Park and the Cambridge Battery here,” he said.

“We’re surrounded by nature, but we have everything we need to do plays. So, seeing a play out here, hearing the music and the poetry in the air, there’s no experience like it and we’re just grateful to get to do it every year.”

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page