Welcome | Stratford Festival Official Website

Students stand in front of the Festival Theatre in groups chatting next to a yellow school bus.

Welcome Michigan!

Just a short trip from Michigan, the Stratford Festival offers inspiring theatre and learning experiences that bring stories to life. Our productions and programs connect directly to classroom learning, making Stratford a meaningful and memorable destination for educators and students alike. Explore all we have to offer and make your next visit part of your teaching journey.

Ready to order? Complete the School Inquiry Form and our Groups and Schools team will follow up with availability, pricing, and next steps

SCHOOL INQUIRY FORM

At the Festival

Frequently Asked Questions

To get started, here are some Frequently Asked Questions, answered by experienced Michigan Educators

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In the Media

Canada's Stratford Festival has a message for Michigan theater lovers: Please come back.

– Detroit Free Press

Stratford Festival Welcomes Michigan Visitors to 71st Season

"The Stratford Festival, renowned as North America's leading repertory theatre company, welcomes visitors from Michigan to immerse themselves in the spectacular 71st season."

– Michigan Chronical

Detroit Native Breaks Ground at Ontario Shakespeare Festival

"Sam White has made art and theater essential in her life, too. It's taken her from being a local kid from Seven Mile and Evergreen to becoming the first African American woman to direct a play at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, one of the most prestigious theater institutions in North America."

– Hour Detroit

Created Equal: Shakespeare in Detroit founder on equity in the arts, new Stratford Festival production

"One of Detroit's very own will return to the acclaimed Stratford Festival in Ontario this year to lead a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

This is the third season at Stratford for Sam White, founding artistic and executive director of Shakespeare in Detroit. The nonprofit stages professional productions of Shakespeare's works at sites throughout the city, in both traditional and non-traditional spaces."

– WDET 101.9 FM

Michigan Residency

For more than 20 years, Stratford Festival teaching artists have travelled to Michigan to provide hands-on learning to students, teachers and community organizations. This workshop complements their field trip experience, deepening learning through embodied and playful approaches to theatre.

Participating teachers and students work with Stratford Festival staff and teaching artists to tie state academic standards for English Language Arts and Theatre to the study of Shakespeare.

To schedule your free onsite workshop at your school or community organization, simply email Education Associate Arielle Zamora at azamora@stratfordfestival.ca.

Space is limited, so we encourage you to book sooner rather than later.

"The workshop increased my conviction that Shakespeare is a vital language experience, especially when brought to life physically by the students in the classroom. Using the real elements of theatre-voice, movement, embodied imagination-students are far more likely to connect with the spirit and value of Shakespeare. Silent reading just doesn't work."

- Michigan Residency participant

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Bus Funding

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, publicly-funded elementary and secondary schools in Canada and the U.S. may apply for financial assistance to subsidize a portion of bus transportation costs associated with their field trip.

Funds are limited. In order to give all students the opportunity to experience live theatre, this funding is designed to support schools facing barriers to attending the Stratford Festival. Decisions are based on several factors including distance travelled, socioeconomic circumstances and the total number of funding applications received.

Learn More

Support for bus funding is generously provided by Nancy Cobban & Allan Walkinshaw, The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation and The Schulich Foundation.

Frequently Asked Questions

To get started, here are some Frequently Asked Questions, answered by experienced Michigan Educators

LEARN MORE

In the Media

Canada's Stratford Festival has a message for Michigan theater lovers: Please come back.

– Detroit Free Press

Stratford Festival Welcomes Michigan Visitors to 71st Season

"The Stratford Festival, renowned as North America's leading repertory theatre company, welcomes visitors from Michigan to immerse themselves in the spectacular 71st season."

– Michigan Chronical

Detroit Native Breaks Ground at Ontario Shakespeare Festival

– Hour Detroit

Created Equal: Shakespeare in Detroit founder on equity in the arts, new Stratford Festival production

"One of Detroit's very own will return to the acclaimed Stratford Festival in Ontario this year to lead a production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

– WDET 101.9 FM

Michigan Residency

Participating teachers and students work with Stratford Festival staff and teaching artists to tie state academic standards for English Language Arts and Theatre to the study of Shakespeare.

To schedule your free onsite workshop at your school or community organization, simply email Education Associate Arielle Zamora at azamora@stratfordfestival.ca.

Space is limited, so we encourage you to book sooner rather than later.

- Michigan Residency participant

LEARN MORE

Bus Funding

Learn More

Support for bus funding is generously provided by Nancy Cobban & Allan Walkinshaw, The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation and The Schulich Foundation.

Getting Here

SEE YOU SOON!

Travel Times by Car

Port Huron/Sarnia: 1 hour, 45 minutes*

Detroit/Windsor: 2 hours, 45 minutes*

To assist you in making your travel plans, most performances run approximately 2.5-3 hours. Please check your ticket carefully for start times and theater locations as these do vary.

*Drive times are approximate and are dependent on traffic, border wait times and road conditions. Please plan on arriving well in advance of your performance time to allow for unforeseen delays as shows begin promptly.

Border Wait Times

More Transportation Options

StratFest OnSite

Parking

Travel Requirements

We strongly suggest that guests refer to travel requirements well in advance of their trip to ensure they meet all current Canadian and American requirements.

For more information on your return to the United States, please visit:
Canadian International Travel Information
U.S. Customs and Border
U.S. Border Crossing Requirements

In Rehearsals

Director Antoni Cimolino speaks to the cast and creative teams in a rehearsal hall.

Antoni Cimolino at the first rehearsal of The Tempest. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A close up on the set maquette. In the middle of the stage, a large, white rock structure towers upward. It has accents of black. A small ship wheel sits central, in front of the rock.

Set design by Julie Fox. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Set and costume designer Julie presents her ideas. She is standing in front of a board full of costume sketches. Two of the sketches in view feature flowy, ethereal costumes with jellyfish that hang above the characters.

Julie Fox at the first rehearsal of The Tempest. Photography by Ann Baggley.

In the foreground, Director Donna Feore holds up a photography book as she addresses the rehearsal room. In the background, Costume Designer Dana Osborne, watches on.

Donna Feore at the first rehearsal of Guys and Dolls. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Up close look at the set maquette for Guys and Dolls. The stage floor maps out the streets of New York City. Big signs and lights decorate the upper stage and balcony. Character miniatures are positioned through the set.

Scenes from the first rehearsal of Guys and Dolls. Set design by Michael Gianfrancesco. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Dan Chameroy and Mark Uhre stand next to a board while being filmed by a reporter. Dan is looking at the camera as he points to a spot on the board.

Dan Chameroy and Mark Uhre at the first rehearsal of Something Rotten! Photography by Ann Baggley.

Paul Gross and Tom McCamus in conversation in the rehearsal hall.

Paul Gross (left) and Tom McCamus at the fist rehearsal of Waiting for Godot Photography by Ann Baggley.

A set maquette with a skeletal tree positioned centrally and a large, full moon hung in the background.

Scenes from the first rehearsal of Waiting for Godot. Set design by Cory Sincennes. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A series of 5 costume sketches sits on music stands in the rehearsal hall.

Scenes from the first rehearsal of Waiting for Godot. Costume design by Cory Sincennes. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Cast members Tom and Lucy pose together for a photo.

Tom McCamus and Lucy Peacock at the first rehearsal of Death of a Salesman. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A close up look at costume sketches for six main characters. On the far left, a man is wearing a white polo, slacks and a brown jacket. Next to him, Linda is wearing a long blue coat over and a blue hat. Next, Willy is wearing an olive green three-piece suit and brown hat. Biff and Happy are wearing jeans, jackets and tennis shoes. Lastly, another young man is wearing a yellow vest with a brown jacket and brown slacks.

Costume design by Denyse Karn. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A close up of the set maquette. The characters of Biff, Happy, Willy and Linda stand around a kitchen table. The surrounding walls are the external walls of a block of dull, grey apartment buildings.

Set design by Scott Penner. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Director Pablo Felices-Luna proudly displays his card collection of various creatures, characters and elements from The Hobbit.

Pablo Felices-Luna at the first rehearsal of The Hobbit™. Photography by Ann Baggley.

An up close look at a set maquette, which features several large, semi-circular pieces that frame the stage.

Scenes from the first rehearsal of The Hobbit™. Set design by Lorenzo Savoini. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Tim Campbell poses for a selfie with the large puppet head of Smaug the Dragon.

Tim Campbell with the hand-crafted puppet head of Smaug the Dragon at the first rehearsal of The Hobbit™. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Director Krista Jackson addresses a room full of cast, creative and staff members in the rehearsal hall.

Krista Jackson at the first rehearsal of The Importance of Being Earnest. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A close up look at the set maquette. Three large set pieces create interior walls, which are covered with a pink wallpaper and feature several different decorative pieces hanging on the walls.

Set design by Bretta Gerecke. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A close up look at a series of costume sketches. The closest sketch features Cecily Cardew wearing a pink dress and holding a red flower. To the right are two more sketches of Lady Bracknell wearing a green dress and an orange dress.

Costume design by Cory Sincennes. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Director Graham Abbey speaks before a group of cast and creatives in the rehearsal hall.

Graham Abbey at the first rehearsal of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Photography by Ann Baggley.

A close up on a set maquette of the Tom Patterson Theatre. An old, fallen tree lies lengthwise on the stage. Above, a large, illuminated moon.

Set design by Lorenzo Savoini. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Director Haysam Kadri addresses the room full of cast, creative and staff in a rehearsal hall.

Haysam Kadri at the first rehearsal of Othello. Photography by Ann Baggley.

An up close look the maquette, which features several arches hanging from above and on the stage.

Set design by Brian Dudkiewicz. Photography by Ann Baggley.

Welcome Michigan!

At the Festival

Getting Here

In Rehearsals

Sign Up

At the Festival

Frequently Asked Questions

In the Media

Michigan Residency

Bus Funding

Frequently Asked Questions

LEARN MORE

In the Media

Michigan Residency

LEARN MORE

Bus Funding

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

LEARN MORE

In the Media

In the Media

Michigan Residency

Michigan Residency

LEARN MORE

Bus Funding

Bus Funding

Getting Here

SEE YOU SOON!

Border Wait Times

More Transportation Options

StratFest OnSite

Parking

In Rehearsals