It is a feeling that the whole of Vancouver knows quite well, the ceremonious rising of the red and white tents in Vanier Park, symbolizing the kick off of the theatre season and sparking excitement in the community. Sadly, given the current global climate, this year we will go without these artistic and beautiful renditions of Shakespeare. Like most not for profit organizations right now, this comes with a shocking reality for our customer, Bard on the Beach.
Bard on the Beach has been gracing Vancouver’s downtown area for over 30 years with their Shakespearean Festival in Vanier Park. In that time, they have grown a tremendous community of over 100,000 attendees each year. What is significant to note, but possibly not as well known, is their educational presence and offerings, designed to inspire the community through dynamic, engaging experiences with the language, characters and plays of William Shakespeare.
Bard, born in Canada’s heart of theatre and arts, holds itself to an incredibly high artistic standard when it comes to communicating Shakespeare to today’s modern audiences. They have built an incredible educational platform including today’s youth, through camps and workshops, adults who are Shakespeare enthusiasts, with their Bard for Life program, all the way to the local neighbourhoods and educational facilities. Suffice it to say, their touch and reach on the Vancouver community is wide.
The relationship between Fully Managed and Bard on the Beach began a few years ago, when the organization realized, like most, that having a one-person IT team wasn’t the best IT solution. At the time, ransomware and phishing attempts were exponentially increasing daily, and most operations did not have the tools and resources in place to combat this. Insert Fully Managed. We were able to provide them with the safety and security they needed, migrate their team to a functional platform for their business and ultimately, give them technology peace of mind.
Fast forward to today’s global pandemic. The team members of Bard on the Beach were able to seamlessly transition themselves to working at home, thanks to the support of Fully Managed. With IT taken care of, now the organization can focus on what's next. They are focusing on the future and shifting as needed to maintain their presence in the artistic realm. Stay tuned for more from Bard on the Beach, as we are sure we aren’t the only ones who will be missing those red and white tents come June!