The Stratford Festival
Do you want to know about the Stratford Festival ?
This Season, the Stratford Festival will feature the following performances:
Musicals: Rent / Spamalot
Shakespeare: King Lear / Richard II / Much Ado About Nothing / Love’s Labours Lost
Comedies: Grand Magic / Les Belles-Soeurs
Family: A Wrinkle in time
Drama: Casey and Diana / Wedding Band / Women of the Fur Trade / Frankenstein Revived
Forum Performance: Goblin:Macbeth
Make sure you book early to get the seats you want.
The Stratford Festival started back in 1952 by journalist, Tom Patterson, and has become world-renown for its repertory theatre, the largest in North America.
The first season of the Stratford Festival began in July 1953 with a performance of Richard III and All’s Well That Ends Well. It was originally called the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Nowadays, while Shakespearean plays remain a primary focus of the Stratford Festival, there are also other performances such as works by Moliere and Shaw, rousing musicals, entertaining comedies and original works by Canadian and international playwrights.
Personalities such as director Tyrone Guthrie and designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch were instrumental in the development of the Stratford Festival. Actors such as Alec Guiness, James Mason, Irene Worth, Maggie Smith, Brian Denehey, William Shatner, and Christopher Plummer are among the ranks of those who have graced their stages over the last 70 years.
There are now four theatres, The Festival, The Tom Patterson, The Avon, and The Studio. Each theatre has several performances happening at each one, depending on the time of the year. The Season runs from the middle of April to the end of October and is often extended, depending on the popularity of the production. One year, The Rocky Horror Picture Show was extended until December – it was fabulous!!! Murray and I are fortunate to be able to see many productions early in the year so we can discuss them and compare notes with our guests at the breakfast table.
This year there are four productions at the main Stratford Festival Theatre, two at the Tom Patterson Theatre, two at the Avon Theatre, and three at the Studio Theatre. The Company is repertory, with actors taking different parts in at least two productions concurrently. Murray and I are so excited to have been able to get the tickets we wanted !
Don’t miss a look into some of the “behind the scenes” activities that the Stratford Festival runs. They regularly have tours Backstage, at their Costume Warehouse and the Festival Archives. There are Forum Events, and the occasional meet the cast or director sessions. You’ll find the info for all of this (and more) on their website.
“The information you gave us about the Festival and its tours was invaluable to us. We especially enjoyed the tours of the Tom Patterson Theatre and the Costume Warehouse. Rita L. Lansing, MI.”
Reserve your room at Mornington Rose Bed and Breakfast here.
