Stratford Festival

The Sound of Music Is Calling You!

It’s back-to-school time again, and here’s a perfect family treat that will warm up everyone’s heart as the days begin to cool down.

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It's hard to believe that it's already September. With the kids all heading back to school, autumn colours will soon paint the trees and out will come sweaters and jackets. But just because summer vacation is over, that doesn't mean you can't still have some fun!

Stratford is the perfect destination for theatre lovers of all ages, and our hit production of The Sound of Music has been extended until November 1. Come spend the day with us, take a stroll along the river to enjoy the splendour of the changing seasons, and then take in a magical journey at the Festival Theatre with one of the most beloved musicals of all time.

Great seats are still available!
Don't forget - we have a special deal for the young people in your life. Kids' tickets are just $39, and are available for all shows for kids 18 and under with the purchase of an adult ticket!

So whether you want to treat your family, or are simply young at heart and want to enjoy live theatre at its dazzling best, come and revisit this joyous classic on stage and fill your life with song.

For tickets to this not-to-be-missed hit of the 2015 season, visit us online or call our Box Office at 1.800.567.1600.

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Production Co-Sponsors: Union Gas Limited & RBC Royal Bank

Production support is generously provided by the Harkins/Manning families in memory of James & Susan Harkins and by Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen

Support for the 2015 season of the Festival Theatre is generously provided by Claire & Daniel Bernstein

The Winning Wit of Women

Love’s Labour’s Lost is a delightful romantic comedy about the triumph of the heart over the head. Actor Ruby Joy, who plays the Princess of France, chats about the play’s strong and witty female characters, its celebrated director and its exploration of truth in love.

An early Shakespeare comedy, bursting with youthful vigour and heady romance, Love's Labour's Lost tells the story of four young men - King Ferdinand and his three best friends - who vow to forsake female company in order to pursue their studies, only to immediately fall for a visiting quartet of beautiful young women.

It also offers a dramatic contrast to some of the season's other titles, including Shakespeare's own Hamlet and The Taming of the Shrew, in which women's roles are explored in the context of patriarchal societies. In Love's Labour's Lost, as the men desperately try to find ways round their vows of scholarly chastity, it is the women who control the romantic action - foremost among them the Princess of France, portrayed with immense poise and wit by Ruby Joy.

Witty and wise
"I love the women in this play," says Ms Joy. "I'm sure their characters' savvy and independent spirits must have held great appeal for Queen Elizabeth I.

"The four women have a lively and highly intelligent friendship between them, and they often playfully spar with one another just as the men do. But the men are outmatched by their visitors: once the women turn their rapier wit on them, the men don't stand a chance. Even when they think they're cleverly disguised, the women see right through them and play with them like toys."

"The world's best"
Canadian-born director John Caird is internationally recognized for his Shakespeare productions - 20 of them at the Royal Shakespeare Company alone - and as co-director of the mega-hit musical Les Misérables. What has it been like working with someone of such world-wide renown?

"John is not at all intimidating," says Ms Joy. "I was very curious to see what he'd be like to work with, and he is extremely kind and gentle. He's the real deal. He is genuinely interested in his cast and allowing them to authentically be who they really are as people. His main goal is to present the play at its very best.

"The more I meet people working at John's level, the more I appreciate the balance of humanity and strength when you are leading a company - the ability to recognize that you don't know everything is a powerful thing."

The production is a feast for the senses. Not only does it boast an extraordinary script full of lush verse, but designer Patrick Clark has also created truly magnificent costumes against a backdrop of simple splendour, all gloriously lit by lighting designer Michael Walton. Augmenting the sound of the poetry is stunning music by composer Josh Schmidt, performed live on stage by a remarkable team of musicians.

"We are so lucky with our creative team here," says Ms Joy. "They are the very best in the country. Some of the best in the world, in fact. They are committed to beauty, and to supporting the story and the action onstage. And the music! Josh works so well with the musicians, and John fully supports that effort. They can pull the genius out of every human."

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Chemistry and empathy
Despite its poetic language and period setting, Love's Labour's Lost is a play with much to say to a modern audience.

"First of all, it's hilarious," says Ms Joy. "But more than that, it is also deeply honest. It shows the power of love and the effect it has on our lives. Love is worth the time and the banter - and ultimately, when life gets in the way, love is worth the wait. Just because there is an unexpected bump in the road that interrupts the romantic flow, it does not nullify the truth of that love."

It is also a production that celebrates youth and vitality, and that is reflected in the many younger members of the company - many of whom, like Ms Joy, are graduates of the Festival's Birmingham Conservatory.

"The cast is amazing," she says. "Absolutely everyone has his or her own thing to bring to the world of the play. There is such fantastic chemistry. A lot of us have worked together in the company before, so there is already that family feeling of love and trust between us.

"Everyone shares their unique skills and uses them to augment the story: Josue [Laboucane] as Costard is a wonderful natural clown. Tom [Rooney] takes the complex scholarly language of Holofernes and truly makes it sing. And Mike [Shara] plays Berowne as a kind of modern Everyman. Today's audiences will have so much to relate to with this production.

"Most importantly, I believe it is a story that promotes empathy between people. And the world needs more empathy these days."

Live and learn
In her fourth season at the Stratford Festival, Ms Joy is past the initial steep learning curve faced by performers new to our stages. "That first season is a bit nerve-wracking for everyone. On top of rehearsals and performances, you have to invest so much time and energy just getting to know the place and all of the people."

But the learning never stops, she says. "Every single night is different when you are doing live theatre. Each performance, we have a different audience to play to and the dynamic shifts every time. The actors have a different relation to their lines - and to each other. It's ever changing - just like life!"

Book your tickets today!
Come and immerse yourself in this joyous, vibrant production. Love's Labour's Lost runs at the Festival Theatre until October 8. To book tickets, visit our website or call our Box Office at 1.800.567.1600.

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Production Sponsor, Scotiabank

Production support is generously provided by Larry & Sally Rayner

Support for the 2015 season of the Festival Theatre is generously provided by Claire & Daniel Bernstein

Stratford Festival HD in Your Home

Missed our Stratford Festival HD screenings earlier this year? Not to worry: all three films are being broadcast on CBC television – and you can now pre-order your very own copies on DVD!

The first three films in our exciting Stratford Festival HD series have already been a hit in cinemas around the world, and are now being shown on CBC television. King Lear was broadcast on September 6, and the other two are coming up fast. Don't miss them! Tune in to CBC-TV on the following dates:

September 20 - Antony and Cleopatra

September 27 - King John

Each presentation will begin at 3 p.m. and will be shown in two parts divided by a short interval, with no other commercial breaks.

Pre-order now for a special price!
The ultimate goal of Stratford Festival HD is to commit the entire canon of Shakespeare's plays to film - and you can start building your own personal library of these magnificent Stratford Festival productions right now. A must-have for any theatre lover, our inaugural 2014 films are now available for pre-order.

Right now, our special pre-order price is only $19.95 per DVD, or you can purchase all three titles for just $54.95. Once the DVDs are released in late fall, you can pick them up in our Theatre Store, or we can ship them to you for an additional flat-rate fee of $9.95 for Canadian addresses and $14.95 for American addresses.

The regular price of Stratford HD on DVD will be $24.95, or all three titles for $59.95. Save now by starting your very own collection of Stratford HD films today!

Click here to place your pre-order:

King Lear

Antony and Cleopatra

King John

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Stratford Festival HD is sponsored by Sun Life Financial, as part of their Making the Arts More Accessible™ program, with generous support from Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, The Jenkins Family Foundation, Ophelia & Mike Lazaridis, Sandra & Jim Pitblado, The Slight Family Foundation and Robert & Jacqueline Sperandio.

Making Anne Frank’s Story Our Own

This year’s production of The Diary of Anne Frank links poignant words from the past to voices of today – including those of the audience.

The harrowing words of Anne Frank live on, not only in the play based on her real-life journal but in the production's innovative staging and its unique pre-performance soundscape - to which you too can add your own voice.

As you enter the Avon Theatre, you'll notice a small wooden booth in the lobby; it contains a microphone connected to recording equipment. Audience members are invited to select a printed excerpt from Anne's diary from among several stored at the information desk, step into the recording booth and read the excerpt aloud. Inside the auditorium, before the play begins, you'll hear a soundscape made up of the patron recordings to which you have just contributed: Anne's words spoken by voices young and old, male and female, in a variety of accents. In this way, we all become part of the telling of her story.

Sharing our voices
At the beginning of the play, the entire cast assembles as the house lights remain on. There is no separation between the audience and the actors: we are all real people sharing the space.

Each performer steps forward to share a self-chosen personal recollection - perhaps a moment from their own youth when they were the same age as Anne in the play, or a snippet of family history relating to the Second World War.

These are the stories and memories of ordinary people, each with their own struggles and joys in life. All of us could so easily be Anne Frank.

Get your tickets today!
The Diary of Anne Frank runs at the Avon Theatre until October 10. Don't miss your chance to see this incredible production. Visit us online or call our Box Office at 1.800.567.1600.

Special exhibition
Visitors to Stratford also have a unique opportunity to discover more about the history of Anne Frank, her family and the forces of history they confronted.

Through photographs, documents and artifacts, the exhibition Anne Frank: A History for Today invites you to walk through a timeline of Anne's story and discover the stunning impact of historical events on individual lives.The exhibition also examines the enduring relationship forged between Canada and Holland during the Second World War.

For more information and to book tickets to this once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into Anne's world, click here or call our Box Office at 1.800.567.1600.

Expand your experience
The Forum will also present a reading of Alix Sobler's play The Secret Annex, which explores what might have unfolded had Anne survived the terrors of the Nazi regime. For more information and to book tickets, click here.

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Schulich's Children's Plays presents The Diary of Anne Frank

Support for the 2015 season of the Avon Theatre is generously provided by the Birmingham family

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Honouring Colm Feore, Luminary of Stage and Screen

In a career spanning more than 30 years, Colm Feore has enthralled audiences with his virtuoso performances in roles ranging from Pierre Trudeau to King Lear. This fall, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto, the sold-out 2015 Stratford Festival Gala celebrates one of Canada’s most accomplished actors.

One of the most recognizable actors in Canada, Colm Feore divides his time between the worlds of classical theatre and major film and television projects, recently giving an unforgettable performance as King Lear both on the Festival Theatre stage and in cinemas as the inaugural production in the Stratford Festival HD project.

His Stratford credits include many of the greatest Shakespearean roles - Hamlet, Coriolanus, Romeo and Richard III - as well as astonishing performances in Cyrano de Bergerac, The Beaux' Stratagem, Don Juan (in both French and English), Oliver! and My Fair Lady.

Mr. Feore's remarkable versatility on stage is mirrored in his film and television work, where his 130 credits include key roles in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Clint Eastwood's Changeling, the Oscar-winning Chicago, Spider Man 2, the TV movie Trudeau and the series The Borgias and Slings and Arrows.

A night of celebration
The gala evening will include tributes and musical entertainment by members of the Stratford Festival company and special guests. This year's event has sold out! If you are one of the lucky ones who will be joining us on September 28, we look forward to welcoming you to what will be surely be a glorious evening to remember.

All proceeds from the gala evening will support key aspects of the Stratford Festival's mandate: to create thought-provoking productions for an increasingly diverse audience, and to foster and develop the very best Canadian theatre practitioners.

For more information about the annual Stratford Festival Gala, please contact our Director of Advancement, Rachel Smith-Spencer, at rsmithspencer@stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600, extension 2402.