2020 Shaw and Stratford Season Previews
Thoughts on the 2020 Seasons
at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival and the Shaw Festival
By David Grapes – Arts
Journalist
February, 2020
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 remains strong against the
Canadian dollar, so the entertainment value when compared to the costs of
theatre tickets for Broadway ($200+ 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 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 became home to one of the finest acting ensembles in North America. While
Tim Carroll, now in his fourth year as Artistic Director, has reduced the size
and scope of that ensemble, he has also diversified the organization’s artistic
staff, the core acting company and the Shaw’s annual programming.
For 2020 the Shaw Festival’s
ever expanding artistic mandate under Carroll will include three Broadway style
musicals (Gypsy, Me & My Girl and
Assassins), contemporary plays (The Playboy of the Western World, Desire Under
the Elms, and Trouble in Mind), one of Shaw’s comic
masterpieces (The Devil’s Disciple), Brandon Thomas’ classic farce (Charley’s Aunt) and a number of world
and Canadian premieres (Prince Caspian and
Flush), an innovative collaboration
with Toronto’s Why Not Theatre (Mahabharata), plus a remount of the
company’s wildly successfull holiday production of A Christmas Carol at the
Royal George Theatre and a remount of its 2017 musical comedy hit Me and My
Girl on the Festival Stage in November/December. While I for one, would
have hoped for at least one additional Shaw play in the season, 2020 certainly
promises to be a great summer of professional theatre.
Another exciting development
over the past decade has been the addition of an intimate fourth performance
venue – The Studio Theatre (which seats just under 200 patrons). With the
retirement of the Court House Theatre, more and more work is being programmed
into this very audience friendly space. The change in venue was a boon to the
senior citizens who always found it quite daunting to traverse the long steep
stairs in the old Court House Theatre.
The new facility, which is
now known as the Maxwell Studio Theatre, has hosted such diverse productions as
Shakespeare’s Henry V, 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, Middletown 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 the
all-world cast of Jim Mezon and Fiona Reid directed by Martha Henry. This year
the Maxwell Studio Theatre will again host three productions (The Playboy of
the Western World, Desire Under the Elms, and Trouble in Mind).
2020 SHAW SEASON AT A GLANCE
Festival Theatre
Gypsy –
April 8 to October 11
The Devil’s Disciple – May 14 to October 9
Sherlock Holmes and the Raven’s Curse – June 21 to October 18
Mahabharata – August 15 to September 19
Me and My Girl – November 13 to December 23
Royal George Theatre
Charley’s Aunt – April 2 to October 17
Prince Caspian – April 23 to September 5
Flush – June
5 to October 10
Assassins
– July 11 to October 10
A Christmas Carol – November 8 to December 23
Jackie Maxwell Studio Theatre
The Playboy of the Western World – May 6 to September 6
Desire Under the Elms – June 4 to October 10
Trouble in Mind – July 17 to October 10
David’s recommendations for the 2020 season
Gypsy – (Featuring Kate Henning
as Mama Rose)
The Devil’s Disciple – (Directed by Eda Holmes)
The Playboy of the Western World – (Starring Moya O’Connell and Fiona Byrne)
Desire Under the Elms – (Starring Tom McCamus and Julia Course)
Me and My Girl – (A remount of the spectacular 2017 production)
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
PLAY INFORMATION
TICKET PRICES
Range from $25.00 CDN (student matinees) to $135.00 CDN
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
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 $150, weekly from $1,000.
Check this blog in August for reviews of many of the 2020 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 100 million-dollar
capital campaign to build a new Tom Patterson Theatre, long time patrons will now
enjoy productions in a brand new state of the art theatre, which opens this
July with a production of Richard III starring Colm Feore.
Also exciting has been the
addition of a fourth stage known as the Studio Theatre located above the Avon
Theatre. This small flexible space, which opened six years ago, is now home to
new works by Canadian playwrights, workshops, productions, and 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 eighth season, the Bard has once again returned as the
artistic heart of the festival.
This year Shakespeare lovers
will be treated to four productions including Much Ado About Nothing (Graham Abbey and Maev Beaty – under the
direction of Chris Abraham), Hamlet,
Richard III (Colm Feore, Ben Carlson, Seanna McKenna, Lucy Peacock and Tom
Rooney – under the direction of Antoni Cimolino), and All’s Well That Ends
Well (Seanna McKenna and Ben Carlson). The 68th season will also
feature the festival premier of the popular American musical Monty Python’s Spamalot (Jonathon Goad) on
the Festival Stage, while Donna Feore will stage the world premiere of the new
musical Here’s What it Takes at the new Tom Patterson Theatre as well as
a razzle dazzle rendition of the Kander and Ebb musical Chicago on the
Festival stage.
Other gems in the 68th
anniversary season include Edward Albee’s brilliant Three Tall Women (Martha Henry, Lucy Peacock and Mamie Zwettler), the
world premiere of Morris Panych’s Frankenstein Revisited an adaptation
of Moliere’s comedy The Miser, (Colm
Feore – directed by Antoni Cimolino), not to mention a production of Wolf Hall (Geraint Wyn Davies and André
Sills), and a family friendly production of Wendy
and Peter Pan. Add to the mix two contemporary plays, The Rez Sisters
and Hamlet-911, at the Studio Theatre, An Undiscovered Shakespeare
at the Patterson, and you have 15 amazing reasons to visit North America’s
largest theatre festival this summer.
The US dollar has been
rising again this year, making the trip an outstanding value for 2020. With Broadway
prices soaring to $200-$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
Chicago – April
11 to November 1
Hamlet – April
23 to October 25
Much Ado About Nothing – May 7 to October 23
The Miser
– August 2 to October 24
Avon Theatre
Wendy and Peter Pan
– April 24 to November 1
Monty Python’s Spamalot – May 9 to October 25
Wolf Hall
– July 28 to October 24
Tom Patterson Theatre
Richard III – May 6 to October 23
All’s Well That Ends Well – May 15 to October 24
Here’s What It Takes – June 5 to October 24
Frankenstein Revisited – August 2 to October 22
Tom Patterson Theatre – Lazaridis Hall
An Undiscovered Shakespeare – June 30 to September 18
Studio Theatre
Three Tall Women – May 27 to September 27
The Rez Sisters – July 21 to September 26
Hamlet-911
– August 5 to September 26
David’s recommendations for the 2020 season
Richard III
and The Miser (Colm Feore)
Three Tall Woman (Martha Henry and Lucy Peacock)
Wolf Hall (Geraint
Wyn Davies and André Sills)
Much Ado About Nothing
Chicago
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 $19.00 CAN to $200.00+ CAN
Rush seats are available day of show
There are also excellent student discounts and group rates
available
BOX OFFICE
1-800-567-1600
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
Watch my blog in August for reviews of many of the 2020 Stratford Shakespeare Festival productions.
https://canadiantheatrefestivals.blogspot.com/
About the author
David Grapes has been a theatre producer/director/playwright/educator and freelance theatre journalist for over forty years. Now an Emeritus Professor of Theatre at the University of Northern Colorado, David 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 theatre reviews on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheatreNewsandReviews?ref=br_tf or follow him on Instagram @theatredavid or on Twitter @davidgrapes. Grapes also served as the Artistic Director of TN Rep from 1999 to 2004. Since 2000, his musicals, plays, and Shakespeare adaptations have received over 500 productions world-wide. David has been privileged to attend over 700 productions at the Shaw Festival and the Stratford Festival since he first attended the Ontario festivals in the year1978.
