Thoughts on the Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival 2016 Seasons
By David Grapes - Arts Journalist
December 23, 2015
By David Grapes - Arts Journalist
December 23, 2015
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 has lead
the theatre for more than a decade, will retire as Artistic Director at the end
of the 2016 season and turn the artistic reins over to Tim Carroll. Maxwell,
who is credited with expanding the Shaw’s mandate over the years, continues to
produce excellent work. For 2016 the Festival’s
expanded artistic mandate will include newer Broadway musicals (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet
Street) and the modern classics (Our
Town and “Master Harold”...and the Boys) works by Shaw, Wilde, Strindberg,
and Chekhov and two world premieres. As
she departs, Maxwell leaves the new Artistic Director Carroll the best of all
legacies: a world class acting ensemble, a balanced budget and a loyal audience.
As the Shaw Festival
celebrates its 56th season this year, audiences will be in for some real treats
including: another popular American musical Sweeney
Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street featuring Benedict Campbell and
Corrine Koslo; the Athol Fugard’s gripping Off-Broadway play “Master Harold” ...and the Boys; two world
premieres, Alice in Wonderland, adapted
and directed by Peter Hinton, and a new Lunchtime One-Act, The adventures of The Black Girl in Her Search for God, adapted for
the stage by Lisa Codrington; the marvelous Nicole Underhay in the title role of
Shaw’s early social commentary Mrs.
Warren’s Profession directed by Eda Holmes; the quintessential American
play Our Town featuring the Shaw’s
magnificent acting ensemble; Neil Barclay in the title role in Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya. And last but not least, a
production of Oscar Wilde’s sparkling drawing room comedy A Woman of No Importance.
Another exciting development
over the past seven years has been the addition of an intimate fourth
performance venue – The Studio Theatre (which seats just under 200 patrons).
The new facility 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. This year’s production will be the
rarely produced August Strindberg masterwork The Dance of Death featuring the all-world cast of Jim Mezon, and
Fiona Reid and directed by Martha Henry.
SHAW SEASON AT A GLANCE
Festival Theatre
Alice in Wonderland – April 27 to October 16
A Woman of No Importance – May 29 to October 15
Sweeney Todd
– July 17 to October 16
Royal George Theatre
Our Town –
April 9 to October 15
Mrs. Warren’s Profession – April 21 to October 16
Engaged – June
15 to October 16
Court House Theatre
Uncle Vanya
– May 1 to September 11
The Adventures of the Black Girl in Her Search for
God – June 10 to September 11
“Master Harold”...and the Boys – June 30 to September 10
Studio Theatre
Dance of Death – July 13 to September 10
David’s Recommendations for the 2016 Season
Alice in Wonderland – (Directed by Peter Hinton)
Mrs. Warren’s Profession – (Starring Nicole Underhay)
A Woman of No Importance – (For the incomparable wit of Oscar Wilde)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Directed by Jackie Maxwell)
Dance of Death – (Starring the remarkable Jim Mezon and the divine Fiona Reid)
ALSO OF INTEREST AT OR NEAR THE SHAW FESTIVAL
Contemporary Play Reading
Series
Pre and Post-show Chats
Shaw Seminar and Symposium
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 can (student matinees) to $121.00 Can (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
FAX
1-905-468-3804
ACCOMODATIONS:
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.
Watch my blog in August for reviews of many of the 2016 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
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 fourth season, the Bard returns once again as the artistic heart of the
festival and will dominate the Festivals large Festival Theatre mainstage and
the Tom Patterson Theatre in 2016.
This year Shakespeare lovers
will again feast on four productions including Macbeth (Ian Lake), As You
Like It (directed by Jillian Kelley), The
Breath of Kings: Rebellion and The Breath
of Kings: Redemption (Graham Abbey, Geraint Wyn Davies and Tom Rooney). The
64th season will also feature a large scale American musical classic
A Chorus Line (directed and
choreographed by Donna Feore) on the Festival Stage while Stephen Sondheim’s captivating
A Little Night Music, another wildly popular
West End musical Shakespeare in Love promises
to provide standing room only audiences at the Avon Theatre.
There are many additional
things to be excited about in the 64th anniversary season, including
the return of Cynthia Dale to star in A
Little Night Music, a timely production of Ibsen’s rarely seen John Gabriel Borkman, (which again
pairs up Stratford’s grand dames Lucy Peacock and Seana McKenna along with
Scott Wentworth in the title role) under the direction of Amerian Director
Carey Perloff, a Martha Henry production of Arthur Miller’s majestic family
drama All My Sons (featuring two of
my personal favorites Lucy Peacock and Joseph Ziegler, who joined forces last
year in She Stoops to Conquer) and an
all star production of Moliere’s comic romp The
Hypocondriac (starring Stephen Ouimette) under the steady hand of Cimolino
himself. Add in The Aeneid; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and
the world premiere of Bunny and you
have 13 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 2016. And the US dollar has
shown some renewed this past year. With Broadway prices soaring to $150-$300+ 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
A Chorus Line – April 19 to October 30
Macbeth –
May 3 to October 23
As You Like It – May 16 to October 22
The Hypochondriac – August 2 to October 14
Avon Theatre
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe – May 10 to October 22
Shakespeare in Love
– April 29 to October 16
A Little Night Music – May 21 to October 23
Tom Patterson Theatre
All My Sons
– May 9 to September 25
Breath of Kings - Rebellion - May 30 to September 24
Breath of Kings - Redemption - May 31 to September 24
John Gabriel Borkman – August 2 to September 23
Studio Theatre
Bunny – July
29 to September 24
The Aeneid
– August 2 to September 25
David’s Recommendations for the 2016 Season
John Gabriel Borkman ( Starring Lucy Peacock, Seana McKenna and Scott
Wentworth)
The Hypochondriac (starring Stephen Ouimette) (Directed by Antoni Cimolino)
All My Sons
(starring Lucy Peacock and Joseph Ziegler) (Directed by Martha Henry)
Shakespeare in Love (Directed by Declan Donnellan)
The Breath of Kings – Parts 1 and 2 (Conceived
and adapted by Graham Abbey)
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 to $189.00 (Canadian $)
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
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 Twitter @davidgrapes.
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