Mission Statement
A "Bash" is a crushing blow.
It can be powerful and done with passion.
It can be about making an attempt, going at it all on your own.
It can also be a wild night.
Shakespeare BASH'd is an artist-driven initiative that seeks to make classical theatre welcoming, inviting, and social.
Shakespeare BASH'd seeks to synthesize the classical with the modern, to look at the plays from a place of curiosity, joy, investigation, truth, and love.
It can be powerful and done with passion.
It can be about making an attempt, going at it all on your own.
It can also be a wild night.
Shakespeare BASH'd is an artist-driven initiative that seeks to make classical theatre welcoming, inviting, and social.
Shakespeare BASH'd seeks to synthesize the classical with the modern, to look at the plays from a place of curiosity, joy, investigation, truth, and love.
About the Company
Shakespeare BASH'd is an initiative started in 2010 by James Wallis, Julia Nish-Lapidus, and a group of young actors who decided to share their love of Shakespeare and stake a claim in the Toronto theatre community by exploring the works of Shakespeare in a collective environment to allow different perspectives and ideas from the entire company to be focused together. The final performance product would be derived from their own experiences, thoughts, and understanding of the works of Shakespeare and the world they were living in now.
Since 2010, Shakespeare BASH’d has presented over twenty critically acclaimed, sold-out productions and staged readings. They participated in the Toronto Fringe Festival from 2012 to 2016, garnering a cult following for their high-energy productions. They have produced plays across the city of Toronto, in iconic bars such as the Monarch Tavern, Junction City Music Hall, and the Victory Cafe.
Since 2023, they have presented productions at The Theatre Centre, but continue to present their staged readings at their old home, the Monarch Tavern.
Shakespeare BASH'd has twice been named NOW Magazine's Reader's Choice Best Site-Specific Theatre Company, and has received many award nominations and wins.
Since 2010, Shakespeare BASH’d has presented over twenty critically acclaimed, sold-out productions and staged readings. They participated in the Toronto Fringe Festival from 2012 to 2016, garnering a cult following for their high-energy productions. They have produced plays across the city of Toronto, in iconic bars such as the Monarch Tavern, Junction City Music Hall, and the Victory Cafe.
Since 2023, they have presented productions at The Theatre Centre, but continue to present their staged readings at their old home, the Monarch Tavern.
Shakespeare BASH'd has twice been named NOW Magazine's Reader's Choice Best Site-Specific Theatre Company, and has received many award nominations and wins.
Core Artistic Team:
Julia Nish-Lapidus - Co-Founder & Co-Artistic Director
Julia Nish-Lapidus is a director, Dora-nominated actor, and producer, as well as a Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Toronto’s Shakespeare BASH'd (Best Site Specific Theatre Company, NOW Magazine Readers’ Choice 2018, 2019). She is also the Co-Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott, ON.
She was a member of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing in, acting as the Assistant Director on Private Lives and Associate Director on All's Well That Ends Well, and as co-facilitator of the WordPlay series in the Forum. In the Festival's 2021 season she was Co-Director and Co-Curator of Play On! A Shakespeare-Inspired Mixtape.
For Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has directed The Merchant of Venice, Cymbeline, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, and the staged reading of The Duchess of Malfi. She has also performed in many BASH'd productions, including The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Tragedy of King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night.
Selected Additional Credits: Romeo and Juliet (George Brown); Much Ado About Nothing, She Stoops to Conquer, Play On! (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (YES/STC); The Duchess of Malfi, The Revenger’s Tragedy (Co-Director, Toronto Metropolitan University); The Tom & Gertie Letters Project (Co-Director, SpringWorks), Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen, This Property is Condemned (Director, The Playwright Project), Modern Love (Co-Creator, Next Stage), As You Like It (Text Coach, Theatre By the Bay), Titus Andronicus (Text Coach, Hart House), and as an actor OVER, See Bob Run (Theatre Caravel), reasons to the pretty (The Labute Cycle), The Forest (Red One Theatre Collective), Dublin Carol (Fly on the Wall).
Julia is a graduate of the joint acting program at UofT and Sheridan College.
She was a member of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing in, acting as the Assistant Director on Private Lives and Associate Director on All's Well That Ends Well, and as co-facilitator of the WordPlay series in the Forum. In the Festival's 2021 season she was Co-Director and Co-Curator of Play On! A Shakespeare-Inspired Mixtape.
For Shakespeare BASH'd, Julia has directed The Merchant of Venice, Cymbeline, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, and the staged reading of The Duchess of Malfi. She has also performed in many BASH'd productions, including The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Tragedy of King Lear, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night.
Selected Additional Credits: Romeo and Juliet (George Brown); Much Ado About Nothing, She Stoops to Conquer, Play On! (St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival); Romeo and Juliet (YES/STC); The Duchess of Malfi, The Revenger’s Tragedy (Co-Director, Toronto Metropolitan University); The Tom & Gertie Letters Project (Co-Director, SpringWorks), Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen, This Property is Condemned (Director, The Playwright Project), Modern Love (Co-Creator, Next Stage), As You Like It (Text Coach, Theatre By the Bay), Titus Andronicus (Text Coach, Hart House), and as an actor OVER, See Bob Run (Theatre Caravel), reasons to the pretty (The Labute Cycle), The Forest (Red One Theatre Collective), Dublin Carol (Fly on the Wall).
Julia is a graduate of the joint acting program at UofT and Sheridan College.
James Wallis - Co-Founder & Co-Artistic Director
James has been a Shakespeare fan all his life, having performed with Resurgence Theatre Company as a teenager and again as a professional later in his career.
In 2010, James co-founded Shakespeare BASH’d with his wife, Julia. For the company, James has directed staged readings of Romeo and Juliet (2010), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), and Edward II (2015), as well as the full productions of Romeo & Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tragedy of King Lear, and The Two Noble Kinsmen. He played Petruchio in the company's Best of Fringe winning production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2012 and the remount in 2015, and played Benedick in their sold-out production of Much Ado About Nothing in the 2013 Toronto Fringe.
In addition, here are some of James’ selected theatre credits: A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Shakespeare’s Magic and The Taming of the Shrew (Theatre by the Bay), Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre, US Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Paradise by the River (Shadowpath Theatre).
James participated in the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing at the Stratford Festival, assistant directing Macbeth, Bunny, and Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. He returned in 2021 as Co-Director and Co-Curator of Play On! A Shakespeare-Inspired Mix-Tape. He is also the Co-Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott, ON.
In 2010, James co-founded Shakespeare BASH’d with his wife, Julia. For the company, James has directed staged readings of Romeo and Juliet (2010), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2011), and Edward II (2015), as well as the full productions of Romeo & Juliet, Love's Labour's Lost, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Twelfth Night, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Tragedy of King Lear, and The Two Noble Kinsmen. He played Petruchio in the company's Best of Fringe winning production of The Taming of the Shrew in 2012 and the remount in 2015, and played Benedick in their sold-out production of Much Ado About Nothing in the 2013 Toronto Fringe.
In addition, here are some of James’ selected theatre credits: A Midsummer Nights’ Dream, Shakespeare’s Magic and The Taming of the Shrew (Theatre by the Bay), Danny, King of the Basement (Roseneath Theatre, US Tour), Sleeping Beauty (Sudbury Theatre Centre), Paradise by the River (Shadowpath Theatre).
James participated in the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Directing at the Stratford Festival, assistant directing Macbeth, Bunny, and Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. He returned in 2021 as Co-Director and Co-Curator of Play On! A Shakespeare-Inspired Mix-Tape. He is also the Co-Artistic Director of the St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival in Prescott, ON.