Stratford Festival facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Stratford Festival |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Repertory Theatre Festival |
| Dates | April to October |
| Venue | Festival Theatre Avon Theatre Tom Patterson Theatre Studio Theatre |
| Location(s) | Stratford, Ontario |
| Founded | 31 October 1952 |
| Filing status | Nonprofit |
| Website | stratfordfestival.ca |
The Stratford Festival is a famous theatre festival in Stratford, Ontario, Canada. It runs every year from April to October. This festival is known around the world for its amazing plays, especially those by William Shakespeare.
The festival started in 1952. It was first called the Stratford Shakespearean Festival. It was one of the very first arts festivals in Canada. Today, it is still one of the most important.
While the festival is famous for Shakespeare's plays, it also shows many other types of theatre. You can see everything from old Greek plays to modern musicals and new plays. The festival has helped make Stratford a city where arts and tourism are very important. Many visitors come from other countries, like the United States and the United Kingdom.
Contents
How the Festival Began
The Stratford Festival was started by a local journalist named Tom Patterson. He lived in Stratford, Ontario. The town was named after Shakespeare's birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Patterson wanted to help his town. Stratford was losing many jobs because steam trains were being replaced. He thought a theatre festival would bring new life to the town.
Patterson got help from the mayor, David Simpson, and the local council. The festival officially became a group on October 31, 1952.
A Canadian theatre expert, Dora Mavor Moore, helped Patterson connect 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 play for free.
Early Performances and the Tent Theatre
The first shows, and all the shows for the first four years, took place in a special tent. This tent was set up on the banks of the Avon River. The very first season opened on July 13, 1953. It featured Richard III and All's Well That Ends Well, both starring Alec Guinness.
The 1954 season was longer. It included a Greek play called Oedipus Rex and two more Shakespeare plays. Many young actors who later became very famous performed during these early years. Some of them were Douglas Campbell, Timothy Findley, Don Harron, William Hutt, and Douglas Rain.
Building a Permanent Home
It took some time to raise money for a permanent theatre. But donations from important people like Governor General Vincent Massey 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, so everyone has a great view! The building was even designed to look like a huge tent.
The Festival Theatre has a special stage called a thrust stage. It was designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch. This stage looks like both an old Greek theatre and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Its design has been copied by many other theatres around the world.
Famous Actors and Directors
Many well-known actors have performed at the Stratford Festival. Scott Wentworth has been in many plays since 1985. Sara Topham started her career here, acting from 2000 to 2011. 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. In 2013, Antoni Cimolino became the Artistic Director. He is still in that role today.
Many other famous actors have performed at the festival over the years. These include Maggie Smith, Christopher Plummer, William Shatner, Paul Gross, and Eric McCormack. Many talented women have also directed plays at Stratford, such as Zoe Caldwell, Martha Henry, and Donna Feore.
Other Festival Activities
From 1956 to 1961, and again from 1971 to 1976, the Stratford Festival also held a separate film festival. This was one of the first film festivals in North America to show movies from around the world.
In 2011, artist Chris Klein started painting the amazing costumes from the festival's costume warehouse. He used to be in charge of scenic art there.
The Festival During Challenging Times
In March 2020, the festival had to cancel shows and lay off staff because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The entire 2020 season was eventually cancelled. However, the festival quickly found a new way to share its plays. They streamed filmed productions online for free. In October 2020, they launched a new streaming service called Stratfest@Home.
In April 2021, the festival announced a new season. Most plays were held outdoors under large canopies. Only one show was indoors with fewer people. The theme for 2021 was "metamorphosis," meaning change.
In May 2022, the festival opened the newly rebuilt Tom Patterson Theatre. This beautiful building was designed by Siamak Hariri. It cost about $100 million and 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.
Even though the festival is best known for Shakespeare, it also puts on modern plays, musicals, and other classic shows. During the season, there's also the Stratford Festival Forum. This includes music concerts, readings by authors, talks, and discussions with actors and staff.
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: The 2024 Season
The 2024 season at the Stratford Festival had a theme called "A World Elsewhere." Here are some of the plays that were performed:
- 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
- The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? – by Edward Albee
- Get That Hope – by Andrea Scott
See Also
- Theatre in Canada
- List of theatre festivals
- The Stratford Adventure, a 1954 movie about the festival's start.
- Slings and Arrows, a TV show about a theatre company like Stratford's.
