Stratford Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stratford Festival |
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The Festival Theatre
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| Genre | Repertory Theatre Festival |
| Dates | April to October |
| Location(s) | 55 Queen St, Stratford, Ontario, Canada |
| Years active | 1953–present |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Website | stratfordfestival.ca |
The Stratford Festival is a famous theatre festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. It runs every year from April to October. A local journalist named Tom Patterson started it in 1952.
The festival was first known by names like the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. It was one of the first big arts festivals in Canada. Today, it is still one of the most important. People all over the world know it for its amazing plays by William Shakespeare.
The main goal of the festival is to show plays by William Shakespeare. But it also puts on many other kinds of shows. These include old Greek plays, popular Broadway musicals, and new plays. In the past, Shakespeare's plays were a very big part of the festival. Now, the festival shows plays by many different writers.
The festival has helped the city of Stratford a lot. Arts and tourism are now very important to the city's economy. Many visitors come from other countries, especially from Britain and the United States.
Contents
The Festival's Story
The festival began as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival of Canada. Tom Patterson, who grew up in Stratford, wanted to help his hometown. He thought a theatre festival could bring new life to the city. He chose to focus on William Shakespeare because Stratford shares its name with Shakespeare's birthplace in England.
Stratford used to be a big railway town. But it was losing jobs because steam trains were being replaced. Tom Patterson got help from Mayor David Simpson and the local council. The festival officially started on October 31, 1952.
A Canadian theatre expert, Dora Mavor Moore, helped Tom Patterson. She connected him with a British actor and director named Tyrone Guthrie. On July 13, 1953, the famous actor Alec Guinness spoke the first lines of the first play. It was Richard III. Guinness and Irene Worth acted in this first show for free.
Early Performances and Venues
For the first four years, plays were held in a big tent. This tent was set up by the Avon River. The first season in 1953 lasted six weeks. It featured Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well. Both plays starred Alec Guinness.
In 1954, the season was nine weeks long. It included an old Greek play, Oedipus Rex. It also had two Shakespeare plays: Measure for Measure and The Taming of the Shrew. Many young actors who later became famous performed in these early years. Some of them were Douglas Campbell, Timothy Findley, Don Harron, William Hutt, and Douglas Rain.
Building a Permanent Home
It took time to raise money for a permanent theatre. But donations from Governor General Vincent Massey and an insurance company helped a lot. The new Festival Theatre opened on June 30, 1957. It can seat over 1,800 people. No seat is more than 65 feet from the stage. The building was designed to look like a giant tent.
The Festival Theatre has a special stage called a thrust stage. It was designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch from Britain. It looks like both an old Greek theatre and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. This stage design has been copied by many other theatres.
Famous Actors and Directors
Many famous actors have performed at the festival. Scott Wentworth has been in many plays since 1985. Sara Topham started her career there. Even a young Christopher Walken performed in 1968. He played Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Lysander in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Richard Monette was the Artistic Director for 14 seasons. He retired in 2007. After him, a team of directors took over. Later, Antoni Cimolino became the Artistic Director in 2013.
In 2012, the festival had some money problems. But by 2015, it was doing very well. It had a surplus of $3.1 million. They also saw more new people coming to the theatres.
In 2015, it was announced that the festival plans to film all of Shakespeare's plays. Many well-known actors have performed at the festival over the years. Some include Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, William Shatner, and Christopher Plummer.
Other Festival Activities
From 1956 to 1961 and again from 1971 to 1976, the Stratford Festival also had a film festival. This was one of the first North American film festivals to show international movies. It stopped in 1976 when the Toronto International Film Festival started.
In 2011, artist Chris Klein started painting the costumes from the festival's collection. He used to be in charge of scenic art there.
Recent Challenges and Innovations
In March 2020, the festival had to cancel shows because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole 2020 season was cancelled. But the festival quickly found a new way to share its plays. They streamed filmed productions online for free. They also created new web series. In October 2020, they launched a streaming service called Stratfest@Home.
In April 2021, the festival announced a new season. Most plays were held under big tents outdoors. Only one play was indoors with fewer people. The theme for 2021 was "metamorphosis," meaning change.
In May 2022, the festival opened the new Tom Patterson Theatre. It cost about 100 million Canadian dollars. The building was designed by Siamak Hariri. It overlooks the Avon River.
The Festival Today
The Stratford Festival usually runs from April to October. It has four main theatres: the Festival Theatre, the Avon Theatre, the Tom Patterson Theatre, and the Studio Theatre.
While Shakespeare's plays are still very important, the festival also shows modern plays and musicals. The Stratford Festival Forum happens during the season. It includes music concerts, readings by authors, and talks with actors.
The Stratford Festival also works with the University of Waterloo Stratford Campus.
Festival Leaders
Artistic Directors
- Tyrone Guthrie (1953–1955)
- Michael Langham (1956–1967)
- Jean Gascon (1968–1974)
- Robin Phillips (1975–1980)
- John Hirsch (1981–1985)
- John Neville (1985–1989)
- David William (1990–1993)
- Richard Monette (1994–2007)
- Marti Maraden, Des McAnuff, Don Shipley (2007–2008)
- Des McAnuff (2008–2012)
- Antoni Cimolino (2013–present)
Executive Directors
- Victor Polley
- William Wylie
- Bruce Swerdfager (1972–1976)
- Gary Thomas
- Mary Hofstetter (1995–1997)
- Antoni Cimolino (1998–2012)
- Anita Gaffney (2013–present)
What's Playing: 2024 Season
The 2024 season is led by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. The theme is "A World Elsewhere."
- Twelfth Night – by William Shakespeare
- Something Rotten! – a musical by John O'Farrell, Karey Kirkpatrick, and Wayne Kirkpatrick
- Romeo and Juliet – by William Shakespeare
- London Assurance – by Dion Boucicault and John Brougham
- La Cage aux Folles – a musical by Jerry Herman and Harvey Fierstein
- Wendy & Peter Pan – by Ella Hickson
- Salesman in China – by Leanna Brodie and Jovanni Sy
- Cymbeline – by William Shakespeare
- Hedda Gabler – by Henrik Ibsen
- The Diviners – by Vern Thiessen and Yvette Nolan, based on a novel by Margaret Laurence
- The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? – by Edward Albee
- Get That Hope – by Andrea Scott
See also
- Theatre in Canada
- List of theatre festivals
- Mary Jolliffe, the festival's first publicist
- James Alexander Cowan, one of the festival's founders
- The Stratford Adventure, a 1954 film about the festival's start
- Slings and Arrows, a TV show inspired by the festival
