The Diary of Anne Frank
Closes October 10

"The Diary of Anne Frank at the Stratford Festival is a revelation… I can't imagine a child or an adult who won't have their life deeply enriched by seeing it." - J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail (4 stars)

"Sara Farb plays Anne as if she knew the character personally, conveying with seeming ease the precocity, vitality, rebelliousness, irrepressible energy, nascent sexuality, strong-mindedness and indomitable spirit. She is absolutely convincing." - Robert Reid, Waterloo Region Record

"Stratford has created a play that hits so deeply inside, it almost feels wrong to applaud at the end, and the impact of Anne Frank's story remains just as powerful as when it was first published." - Christina Strynatka, Examiner

"There are performances at Stratford which people boast for decades about having seen. I'm going on record that Deborah Hay's Katherina will be one of them." - Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

"The performances of Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay are both excellent - though Hay's is truly beyond compare." - J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail (4 stars)

"By the time Hay delivers the notoriously difficult speech at play's end in which Katherina proclaims Petruchio her lord and her life, I was close to tears." - Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

She Stoops to Conquer
Closes October 10

"At the heart of the show are two young women who are being wooed and, mercifully, they're both well worth the wooing. Maev Beaty's Kate Hardcastle is a model of femininity in the true sense of the word - strong and smart, yet with a world of tenderness underneath. Sara Farb makes Constance Neville a totally adorable bundle of egotistical twitches, simultaneously perfectly in period and completely contemporary." - Richard Ouzounian, Toronto Star

"Maev Beaty gives a winning performance. She lets us see the fiercely beating heart of the bright, smart and lovelorn Kate." - Mike Fischer, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

"Three cheers to Joseph Ziegler on his return to the classics on the main stages of the Stratford Festival - a return nearly three decades in the making. Ziegler's hilarious and heart-warming turn as bewigged, bothered and bewildered Mr. Hardcastle truly ties the show together." - J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail

Q: What sorts of things do you have to keep in mind when it comes to the overall creative vision?

AC: Certainly I consider projects that will suit individual actors at certain stages of their careers. Keeping a company of happy and fulfilled actors translates into having a successful season. That also goes for directors and designers: who is the best match for what show? Are they available for the desired timeframe? Availability can be tricky. Sometimes you have to plan years in advance to work with certain folks.

I am also mindful about avoiding a perceived sense of "sameness." I don't want audiences to think, "Well, they do Romeo and Juliet at Stratford all the time. I'll go see it next year." The last thing I want is to put together a "cookie-cutter" season. For instance, with last season's The Beaux' Stratagem, we reintroduced Restoration comedy to our stages after years of not presenting any plays from that period, and we followed up in 2015 with She Stoops to Conquer. Some may notice that we're not doing any Restoration plays next season. That is a deliberate choice: we don't always want to do something from the same eras year after year and create a dull feeling of expectation. Instead, we're presenting Ibsen and Miller and Molière: all iconic playwrights we've not seen at our theatres in some time.

It always comes down to balance: we want to showcase individuals' strengths and support artistic progression, and maintain a sense of the Festival's continuity while at the same time finding new ways of surprising and delighting our audiences.

Q: What are some of the innovations you've introduced to keep that idea of freshness alive?

AC: In the case of actual performance space, we're refitting the Tom Patterson Theatre next season specifically for Breath of Kings. I love the Tom Patterson as it is, and it will return to its present configuration in the future, but I decided to transform it into a theatre in the round for 2016. Now, for the first time during the same season, Stratford audiences will be able to enjoy performances at every kind of theatre space: the thrust stages of the Festival Theatre and the Studio, the proscenium of the Avon Theatre, and in the round at the Tom Patterson.

We're always looking for ways to infuse freshness and variety, and create a feeling of excitement: that's the same spirit behind the Peter Sellars interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Masonic Hall in 2014. Not only did we present a very raw and different concept of a beloved Shakespeare play, but we ran it alongside a full production at the Festival Theatre during the same season. A first for us.

But alongside the quest for fresh new approaches, we also stay grounded in our roots here at the Stratford Festival. As I watched Martha Henry's direction of She Stoops to Conquer this year, I could see the past provenance of the great artistic tradition she has so long been a part of. It's exciting to watch her passing on her extensive experience to the younger generations of actors. She is extremely supportive of, and giving toward, performers, and I can't wait to see what she does with her direction of All My Sons.

Play a crucial role in our 2016 season
As an enthusiastic Stratford Festival fan, you must already be anticipating another wonderful season of amazing live theatre. We hope you are as excited as we are about exploring our season theme, After the Victory.

You can thrill to the dark tragedy of Macbeth, enjoy the North American première of Shakespeare in Love and kick up your heels with A Chorus Line. Introduce a special young person to live theatre with the magic of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, take in the gripping drama of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, and laugh in delight at Molière's The Hypochondriac.

With 13 spectacular productions and scores of fascinating Forum events, there will truly be something for everyone!

When you become a Festival Member, you join a community of like-minded and indispensable partners on this exciting shared journey of exploration.You can play a direct role in staging great productions - theatre unmated in its power to stir the emotions, illuminate the mind and nourish the spirit. Membership starts at only $75, with many different levels to choose from - and all of our valued Members enjoy amazing advantages, such as:

• Advance Booking: order your 2016 season tickets almost two months in advance of the general public and enjoy priority access to great discounts and the best seats.

• Access to many more great ways to save, such as our  Shakespeare Ticket Offer (save 50% off selected shows), complimentary and Bring-a-Friend tickets, as well as our Musical Ticket Offer: save 40% on selected shows.

• Access to our Members-only lounge at the interval, where you can enjoy complimentary drinks, private washrooms and your own patio.

• Members' Rush Tickets: purchase up to four tickets, starting at 9 a.m. on the day of the show.

• and much, much more!