"Home of the Stratford Fes ..." a Stratford Travel Page by Karamazov_G

The Stratford Festival is North America's largest repertory theatre. From its humble tent beginnings in 1953 to its current status as a world reknown Shakespearean theatre - the festival has entertained millions of theatre goers.

Stratford has seen its share of great actors pass through its wings: Sir Alec Guinness, Alan Bates, Christopher Plummer, Martha Henry, Sir John Gielgud, William Hutt, Brent Carver, among many others.

The Playlist for 2005:

At the Festival Theatre

The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

Hello, Dolly! Book by Michael Stewart; music and lyrics by Jerry Herman.

As You Like It by William Shakespeare.

The Lark by Jean Anouilh. Written in 1953, The Lark (L'Alouette) celebrates the wonder and joy in the story of Joan of Arc, the 15th-century young French peasant girl who obeyed God's voice and rose to lead a French king and army to victory. Later reviled and killed as a heretic - and, still later, canonized as a saint - Joan recounts her life in The Lark as she undergoes a trial at the hands of political and church authorities eager to condemn her.

At the Avon Theatre

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams.

Fallen Angels by Noël Coward. Written in 1924, this early Coward comedy follows the merry mayhem that ensues when Julia and Jane, old friends who have settled happily into upper-class married life, discover that a suave, French ex-lover - the "grand passion" of each lady's life - is planning to renew old acquaintances.

Into the Woods Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim; book by James Lapine.

At the Tom Patterson Theatre

The Brothers Karamazov by Jason Sherman, adapted from the 1879 novel by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. The brutal murder of wealthy landowner Fyodor Karamazov shocks a small town in Russia and changes the lives of his four sons forever.

Wingfield's Inferno by Dan Needles. The heat is on! A devastating fire at Larkspur's community hall leaves it a smoking ruin. Walt Wingfield spearheads the charge to get it rebuilt, but lighting a fire under his fellow committee members proves a daunting task.

Orpheus Descending by Tennessee Williams. This 1957 play, based on an earlier Williams work, Battle of Angels, borrows elements of the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in telling the story of a young, charismatic musician, Valentine Xavier, who seeks refuge in a small, repressive Southern town in an effort to distance himself from a wild past.

Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare. Having appointed Angelo his deputy, the Duke of Vienna disguises himself as a friar to observe Angelo's rigorous attempts to reform the lives of the dissolute Viennese.

At the Studio Theatre

The Donnellys: Sticks & Stones by James Reaney. This is the first of a trilogy of plays about the Donnellys, written between 1975 and 1977 by veteran Canadian author James Reaney. Infamous in Canadian history, this Irish family immigrated in 1844 to Biddulph Township near London, Ontario, and was nearly annihilated by a murderous secret society formed among their neighbours 36 years later.

The Measure of Love by Nicolas Billon. Directed by Jean-Louis Roux. The latest work by Canadian playwright Nicolas Billon, author of 2004's The Elephant Song.

Edward II by Christopher Marlowe, a contemporary of William Shakespeare, wrote this play shortly before his violent death in 1593. The fictional story is based on the history of the 14th-century King Edward II, who was forced to abdicate the English throne after his reign was shaken by grievances of favouritism.

It's true - I'll take off to Stratford by myself. I do have friends but it's also one of those places I look forward to being alone.

I've been visiting Stratford for more than twelve years and would gladly provide you with some more personal recommendations.

Stratford Festival Information

Phone: Box Office/Membership 1-800-567-1600
Administration 1-519-271-4040
Theatre Store 1-519-271-0055 ext. 2320


Fax: Administration 1-519-271-1126
Special Orders 1-519-273-3731


Mail: Stratford Festival of Canada
P.O. Box 520
Stratford, Ontario, Canada N5A 6V2


Courier: Stratford Festival of Canada
55 Queen Street
Stratford, Ontario, Canada N5A 4M9

http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/index.cfm