Shaw and Stratford Festival 2017 Season Previews!

Thoughts on the Stratford Shakespeare Festival/Shaw Festival 2017 Seasons
By David Grapes – Arts Journalist – January, 2017

Theatre patrons, who are passionate about quality theatre here in the U.S., should consider a trip North across the Canadian border into Ontario and spend some serious time exploring North America’s two largest theatre festivals – The Stratford Shakespeare Festival and The Shaw Festival. The American dollar appears to have stabilized against the Canadian dollar, so the entertainment value when compared to the costs of theatre tickets for Broadway ($150+ average) or in London is high. And if you search the web, there are some excellent airfare deals for the upcoming summer into Toronto’s Lester B. Pearson airport for about $500.00 to $800.00 from most major US airports. Rental cars are readily available at the Toronto airport. (Try Hotwire.com for the best airport rental rates) Driving time from the airport to either of the two festivals is less than two hours on four lane highways. Remember – Passports are now REQUIRED for any border crossing!

The Shaw Festival

Located in historic Niagara-on-the-Lake (30 miles North of Buffalo, 120 Miles South of Toronto) along the beautiful Lake Ontario shoreline, The Shaw Festival is the only theatre in the world that specializes exclusively in plays by George Bernard Shaw and his contemporaries. During the last three decades, under the artful and highly creative leadership of Christopher Newton and Jackie Maxwell, the Shaw not only earned a reputation for innovative programming and stunning visuals, but also become home to one of the finest acting ensembles in North America. Director Maxwell, who led the theatre for more than a decade, retired as Artistic Director at the end of the 2016 season and turned the artistic reins over to Tim Carroll to plan the 2017 season along with new Executive Director Tim Jennings.

For 2017 the Festival’s expanded artistic mandate will again include newer Broadway musicals (Me and My Gal) and the modern classics (Dancing at Lughnasa) two works by Shaw, Wilde, Bennett, and a co=production with the Great Canadian Theatre Company.  As she departs, Maxwell leaves the new Artistic Director Carroll the best of all legacies: excellent facilities, a world-class acting ensemble, and a loyal audience. Unfortunately, Maxwell also left Carroll and Jennings a deficit of 1.76 million dollars from the 2015 season. Hopefully the 2016 Annual Report will show improvement to the Shaw’s bottom line. Otherwise financial constraints may limit Carroll’s ability to fund new initiatives or take artistic risks in his season selection over the next few years.

As the Shaw Festival celebrates its 56th season this year, Carroll is already mixing things up a bit and diversifying both the program and the acting company.  For his premiere season Carroll is perhaps offering up a sampler of things to come. They include: a popular American musical Me and My Girl featuring Stratford and Toronto favorite Michael Therrialut; Brian Friel’s Irish valentine Dancing at Lughnasa; and a new Lunchtime One-Act, Wilde Tales, adapted for the stage by Kate Hening; Stratford’s luminous Sara Topham in the title role of Shaw’s masterwork Saint Joan with Carroll making his Shaw directing debut; a new adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Tom McCamus in the title role in Alan Bennett’s quirky The Madness of George III, the racially charged An Octoroon with André Sills, 1837: The Farmers’ Revolt a new Canadian play from Rick Salutin and Theatre Passe Muraille, and last but not least, a production of Shaw’s under appreciated comedy Androcles and the Lion again with Carroll at the helm.

Another exciting development over the past eight years has been the addition of an intimate fourth performance venue – The Studio Theatre (which seats just under 200 patrons). The new facility which was renamed this year to the Maxwell Studio Theatre has hosted such diverse productions as John Osborne’s The Entertainer starring Benedict Campbell, Caryl Churchill’s provocative contemporary play Serious Money, When the Rains Stop Falling, Topdog/Underdog, Helen’s Necklace, The Mountaintop, The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures and the 2013 megahit production of Tom Stoppard’s theatrical gem Arcadia, which later transferred to Toronto for an additional run in 2014, August Strindberg masterwork The Dance of Death which featured an the all-world cast of Jim Mezon, and Fiona Reid and directed by Martha Henry. This years offerings will be Middletown by Will Eno and 1979 by Michael Healy (The Drawer Boy).

2017 SHAW SEASON AT A GLANCE

Festival Theatre 
Me and My Girl  – April 5 to October 15 

Saint Joan – May 3 to October 15 
Dracula – July 8 to October 14

Royal George Theatre 

The Madness of George III – April 11 to October 15 

Dancing at Lughnasa – May 14 to October 15 
An Octoroon – July 16 to October 14

Court House Theatre 

1837: The Farmers’ Revolt – May 7 to October 8 
Androcles and the Lion– June 6 to October 7   
Wilde Tales – June 8 to October 7 (Lunchtime One-Act)

Maxwell Studio Theatre

Middletown – July 13 to September 10 

1979 – October 1 to October 14

David’s recommendations for the 2017 season

Saint Joan – (Starring Sara Topham and Directed by Tim Carroll) 
Me and My Girl – (Starring Michael Therriault) 
The Madness of George III – (Starring Tom McCamus) 
An Octoroon – (Starring André Sills) 
1979 – (Written by master Canadian playwright Michael Healey)

ALSO OF INTEREST AT OR NEAR THE SHAW FESTIVAL

Secret Theatre (For members of the new Secret Theatre Club)
Reading Series, Pre and Post-show Chats, Beyond the Stage Events
Friends Days, Shaw Conference, Teen Workshops, Summer Camps

Teacher Days, Niagara Falls,  Old Fort Erie/ Old Fort Niagara 

Wine country excursions, Lake activities, Theatre and Hotel Packages

TICKET PRICES
Range from $25.00 CDN (student matinees) to $117.00 CDN (weekends and openings) 
Rush seats are available day of show
$30 rate for patrons under 30 years of age at any theatre
There are also excellent student discounts and group rates available

BOX OFFICE 

1-800-511-7429 or 905-468-2172

FAX 

1-905-468-3804

ACCOMODATIONS

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE CHAMBER of COMMERCE RESERVATION SERVICE (CCA) 905-468-1950. In the Court House on Queen Street, Box 1043, Niagara-on-the-Lake L0S 1J0. www.niagaraonthelake.com Reservation service for 1700 plus rooms, representing every hotel and a collection of approved inns, cottages and bed-and-breakfast homes. For a quality experience, let our trained specialists help you select CCA (Chamber of Commerce Approved) accommodation. All price ranges represented.

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE BED and BREAKFAST ASSOCIATION (BBA) 905-468-0123 or 1-866-855-0123. Box 1228, Niagara-on-the-Lake L0S 1J0. www.bba.notl.on.ca Members are identified by BBA in the listings. Call or visit our website for a free availability search or to book online. We maintain high standards and adhere to a code of ethics. Book with a member.

ABOUT HISTORIC BED and BREAKFASTS IN OLD TOWN CENTRE www.historicbb.com These private homes, built before 1850, are within 4 short blocks of a theatre, dining and shops. Visit our website or contact the following homes in the Bed and Breakfast section: Adam Lockhart’s Storrington House, Annette Twining House, Apple Tree Bed and Breakfast, Barrett Cottage, B&B’s “Pacific”, Blaney House, Burns House, Davy House, Regent House, The Rogers-Harrison House, Royal Manor, Saltbox 1820 Cottage, Schoolmaster’s House. Open year-round. Central air. Full breakfasts. Private parking. Smoke-free. All rooms have private en-suite bathrooms. $125-$225.

ACCOMMODATION ALTERNATIVES NIAGARA www.accommodationalternativesniagara.com A fine selection of licensed cottages, apartments and homes in Niagara, suitable to those who prefer privacy and self-catering accommodations. Nightly from $130, weekly from $750.
 
Check this blog in August for reviews of many of the 2017 Shaw Festival productions.

The Stratford Festival

Located in the bucolic hills of Southern Ontario in the working class town of Stratford, The Stratford Festival has grown from its humble beginnings in 1953 (two Shakespearean plays produced in a tent) to one of the largest and most respected theatre festivals in the world, now under the capable leadership of Antoni Cimolino.

Having completed a 50 million dollar capital and endowment drive a few years back, long time patrons now enjoy improvements at all four of the Festival’s theatre venues, upgraded electronic services, and enhanced production quality on stage.  Exciting indeed has been the addition of a fourth stage known as the Studio Theatre located above the Avon Theatre. This small flexible space, which opened five years ago, is now home to new works by Canadian playwrights, workshops, productions, and for the first time in its short history – Shakespeare.  However, the Studio Theatre only seats 260 patrons, so if you want to see a popular production in the Studio Theatre, you need to purchase your tickets well in advance.

Variety has always been a hallmark of the Stratford Festival, where works by Shakespeare, Marlowe, Moliere and Ibsen share the stage with Broadway musicals and the comedies of Oscar Wilde and Noel Coward and although Shakespeare did not dominate the large Festival Stage under previous Artistic Director Des McAnuff, now that Director Cimolino is entering his fifth season, the Bard has once again returned as the artistic heart of the festival and will dominate the Festivals large Festival Theatre mainstage again in 2017.

This year Shakespeare lovers will be treated to three productions including Twelfth Night (Rod Beattie, Brent Carver, Geraint Wyn Davies, Tom Rooney – under the direction of Martha Henry), Romeo and Juliet, and Timon of Athens (Joseph Ziegler). The 65^th season will also feature another remount of lthe always popular American musical Guys and Dolls (directed and choreographed by Donna Feore) on the Festival Stage while Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore, makes a welcomed return to the the Avon Theatre stage.

There are other gems in the 65^th anniversary season, including the return of Brent Carver to appear in Twelfth Night and Cimolino’s production of Sheridan’s Restoration comedy The School for Scandal, a timely production of Molière’s class comedy Tartuffe, (starring Tom Rooney and Graham Abbey) under the capable direction of Chris Abraham, an exciting adaptation of the Bakkhai (featuring Lucy Peacock and Mac Fyfer), and a production of The Madwoman of Chaillot (starring Seana McKenna). Add in Treasure Island, The Changeling, The Komagata Maru Incident and two world premieres of The Virgin Trial and The Breathing Hole and you have 14 amazing reasons to visit North America’s largest theatre festival this summer.

The US dollar has fluctuated in recent years against the Canadian dollar and it has been rising again this year, making the trip an outstanding value for 2017. With Broadway prices soaring to $150-$500+ a ticket, it is hard to imagine that you could get more “bang for your entertainment buck” anywhere in the world than in Ontario, Canada.

STRATFORD SEASON AT A GLANCE


Festival Theatre
Guys and Dolls – April 15 to October 29 

Romeo and Juliet – May 3 to October 21 

Twelfth Night – May 13 to October 21 

Tartuffe – August 1 to October 13

Avon Theatre

Treasure Island – April 22 to October 22 
HMS Pinafore – May 4 to October 21 
The School for Scandal – May 15 to October 21

Tom Patterson Theatre

Timon of Athens – May 8 to September 22 
The Changeling - May 25 to September 23 
Bakkhai - May 27 to September 23 
The Madwoman of Challiot – August 3 to September 24

Studio Theatre
The Virgin Trial – June 7 to September 23 
The Breathing Hole – July 30 to September 22 
The Komagata Maru Incident – August 5 to September 24

David’s recommendations for the 2017 season

Bakkhai – (Starring Lucy Peacock) 
The School for Scandal – (Starring Geraint Wyn Davies – Directed by Antoni Cimolino) 
Timon of Athens – (Starring Joseph Ziegler – Directed by Stephen Ouimette) 
Twelfth Night – (All star cast Directed by Martha Henry) 
Tartuffe  – (Starring Tom Rooney) 
The Virgin Trial – (A world premiere by playwright Kate Hening)

ALSO OF INTEREST AT STRATFORD

The Festival Forum, Family Series Events, Stageside Chats, Festival Tours, Celebrated Writers Series, Night Music – Special concerts each Monday evening June to August in the Festival Theatre, A wide assortment of classes, workshops, special events. 

PLAY INFORMATION

www.stratfordfestival.ca

TICKET PRICES
Range from  $20.00 CAN to $189.00 CAN 
Rush seats are available day of show
There are also excellent student discounts and group rates available

BOX OFFICE

1-800-567-1600

Box Office E-Mail  
orders@stratfordfestival.ca

ACCOMODATIONS
1-800-567-1600

I recommend the Swan Motel (Downie Street South)
Phone: 519-271-6376
Fax: 519-271-0682
E-mail: info@swanmotel.ca

http://www.swanmotel.ca

Watch my blog in August for reviews of many of the 2017 Stratford Productions!

David Grapes has been a theatre producer/director/playwright/educator and freelance theatre journalist for over forty years. He holds a BA in Theatre from Glenville State College and an MFA in Acting/Directing from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. You can also read his work on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheatreNewsandReviews?ref=br_tf or follow him on Instagram @theatredavid or on Twitter @davidgrapes.