TWELFTH NIGHT

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTED BY SEANA MCKENNA

VENUE: FESTIVAL THEATRE

APRIL 26—OCTOBER 26 | OPENS MAY 27

"O TIME, THOU MUST UNTANGLE THIS, NOT I. IT IS TOO HARD A KNOT FOR ME T'UNTIE."

A terrible storm leaves Viola shipwrecked on the island of Illyria. A woman alone in a strange land, Viola disguises herself as "Cesario" and enters the service of Duke Orsino to deliver love letters to Countess Olivia. Orsino's plan backfires when Olivia falls for Cesario, whose heart now belongs to Orsino, who is still smitten with Olivia. When Viola's twin brother appears, complications peak! Twelfth Night remains one of the Shakespeare's most beloved romantic comedies, a sumptuous feast of unrequited love, mistaken identity, high poetry and riveting drama, reimagined in a setting closer to our time and around the corner from the Summer of Love: the late '60s.

Production support for Twelfth Night is generously provided by Priscilla Costello, by Dr. Desta Leavine in memory of Pauline Leavine, by Peggy Ptasznik, by Laurie J. Scott, by The Whiteside Foundation and by Catherine Wilkes in memory of David.

Photo: Jessica B. Hill. Photography by Ted Belton.

SOMETHING ROTTEN!

BOOK BY KAREY KIRKPATRICK AND JOHN O'FARRELL

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY WAYNE KIRKPATRICK AND KAREY KIRKPATRICK

CONCEIVED BY KAREY KIRKPATRICK AND WAYNE KIRKPATRICK

DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY DONNA FEORE

VENUE: FESTIVAL THEATRE

APRIL 16—OCT 27 | OPENS MAY 28

"WELCOME TO THE RENAISSANCE WITH POETS, PAINTERS AND BON VIVANTS…"

The Bottom brothers, two struggling playwrights in Renaissance London, need a hit. That's easier said than done when your chief competition is local rockstar William Shakespeare. The Bottom brothers' plan: write the world's first musical! This rollicking song-and-dance extravaganza, which was nominated for ten Tony Awards during its smash Broadway run,  sends up the Bard and Broadway and everything in between. Best of all, it can be enjoyed without CliffsNotes!

Production Co-Sponsor: RBC

Production support for Something Rotten! is generously provided by John & Therese Gardner, by Robert & Mary Ann Gorlin, by The William and Nona Heaslip Foundation and by Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen.

Photo: From Left: Mark Uhre, Jeff Lillico, Henry Firmston and Olivia Sinclair-Brisbane. Photography by Ted Belton.

Romeo and Juliet

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTED BY SAM WHITE

VENUE: FESTIVAL THEATRE

MAY 6—OCT 26 | OPENS JUNE 1

"DID MY HEART LOVE TILL NOW?"

When two young star-crossed lovers lock eyes across a crowded dance floor, their hearts are forever bound. But can their love survive the brutal blood feud that has torn apart their rival families, the Capulets and Montagues? The greatest love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet has captivated audiences and artists for centuries and provided the inspiration for hundreds of films, ballets, operas, novels and the iconic Broadway musical West Side Story. This production, which features lavish period sets and costumes, is a wonderful introduction to Shakespeare and a welcome return to a beloved story.

Production support for Romeo and Juliet is generously provided by The Jentes Family.

Photo: From Left: Jonathan Mason and Vanessa Sears. Photography by Ted Belton.

LONDON ASSURANCE

BY DION BOUCICAULT

DIRECTED BY ANTONI CIMOLINO

VENUE: FESTIVAL THEATRE

AUG 7—OCT 25 | OPENS AUG 22

"LOVE! WHY, THE VERY WORD IS A BREATHING SATIRE UPON MAN'S REASON…"

Sir Harcourt Courtly is an over-the-hill London fop. Arriving at Oak Hall to claim his wealthy and scandalously young bride, Courtly's plan for a get-rich-quick weekend in the country is scuttled by his dissolute son, Charles, and a cast of Victorian eccentrics that includes the unforgettable Lady Gay Spanker and her husband, "Dolly." Celebrated as one of the great British stage comedies, London Assurance is a brilliant precursor to the works of Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw, full of liveliness, fun and comically relatable stories of family and friendships.

Production support for London Assurance is generously provided by Dr. Dennis & Dorothea Hacker, by Jane Fryman Laird, by Dr. M.L. Myers, by Catherine Elliot Shaw and by Dr. Robert J. & Roberta Sokol.

Photo: From Left: Geraint Wyn Davies, Deborah Hay, Marissa Orjalo and Austin Eckert. Photography by Ted Belton.

La Cage aux Folles

BOOK BY HARVEY FIERSTEIN

MUSIC AND LYRICS BY JERRY HERMAN

BASED ON THE PLAY BY JEAN POIRET

DIRECTED BY THOM ALLISON

CHOREOGRAPHED BY CAMERON CARVER

VENUE: AVON THEATRE

MAY 6—OCT 26 | OPENS MAY 31

"WE FACE LIFE WITH A LITTLE GUTS AND LOTS OF GLITTER…"

Georges, the manager of a drag club in St. Tropez, decides to "play it straight" when his son arrives with his fiancé and her ultra-conservative parents. Albin, the club's star performer and romantic partner to Georges, is dubious about the plan. The ensuing clash unravels truth and consequences with heartwarming grace. Gorgeous and funny, La Cage aux Folles has been delighting audiences since its Broadway première in 1983, when it won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Fans of the Oscar-nominated film TheBird Cage (inspired by the French play the musical takes its name and inspiration from) will rejoice in seeing familiar characters on the stage! 

Production support for La Cage aux Folles is generously provided by Laurie J. Scott and by Peter & Carol Walters.

Photo: From Left: Steve Ross and Sean Arbuckle. Photography by Ted Belton.

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIÈRE

Schulich Children's Plays

WENDY AND PETER PAN

ADAPTED BY ELLA HICKSON

FROM THE BOOK BY J.M. BARRIE

DIRECTED BY THOMAS MORGAN JONES

CHOREOGRAPHED BY JERA WOLFE

VENUE: AVON THEATRE

MAY 21—OCT 27 | OPENS JUNE 15

"SHALL I TEACH YOU HOW TO FIGHT PIRATES?"

The Stratford Festival is proud to bring award-winning writer Ella Hickson's smash adaptation of Peter Pan to the North American stage, hot on the heels of its critically acclaimed run at The Royal Shakespeare Company. Wendy and Peter Pan gives Wendy pride of place in a reimagined journey to Neverland, home of Hook and the Lost Boys. Join Wendy Darling, Peter Pan and all your favourite characters in this thoroughly modern adventure that delivers all the unforgettable thrills, spills and fairy dust of the beloved children's classic. A wonderful introduction to live theatre for our youngest fans and an enchanting way to spend family time!

Production support for Wendy and Peter Pan is generously provided by The Schulich Foundation.

Photo: From Left: Cynthia Jiminez-Hicks, Jake Runeckles and Laura Condlln. Photography by Ted Belton.

WORLD PREMIÈRE

SALESMAN IN CHINA

BY LEANNA BRODIE AND JOVANNI SY

SUGGESTED BY THE MEMOIRS OF ARTHUR MILLER AND YING RUOCHENG

CHINESE TRANSLATIONS BY FANG ZHANG

DIRECTED BY JOVANNI SY

VENUE: AVON THEATRE

AUG 3—OCT 26 | OPENS AUG 23

"MY HEAD FEELS LIKE A BRIDGE THAT ALL OF BEIJING HAS BEEN WALKING OVER."

In 1983, playwright Arthur Miller made history by travelling to China to direct a production of his classic play Death of a Salesman. Working with the Beijing People's Art Theatre, Miller and his collaborators struggled to bridge the gap between languages, cultures and national identities for an audience long shut off from the West. Enjoying its world première at Stratford's Avon Theatre, Salesman in China retells this daring act of cultural cross-pollination on stage.

Production support for Salesman in China is generously provided by Marilyn Gropp, by Martie & Bob Sachs and by Esther Sarick.

Photo: Derek Kwan. Photography by Ted Belton.

Cymbeline

BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

DIRECTED BY ESTHER JUN

VENUE: TOM PATTERSON THEATRE

MAY 10—SEPT 28 | OPENS MAY 29

"BOLDNESS BE MY FRIEND: ARM ME AUDACITY FROM HEAD TO FOOT!"

Forbidden love. Familial strife. Political intrigue. In Cymbeline, the final play from Shakespeare's First Folio, the playwright fuses romance, comedy and tragedy to create a unique fantasia brimming with mistaken identities and gender-swapping disguises. Cymbeline's daughter, Innogen, one of Shakespeare's most celebrated heroines, is thrust into the world of court politics and ruthless personal ambitions when she chooses a lover beneath her station. Deceived by the dastardly Iachimo, a worthy contender for the Bard's all-time greatest villain, Innogen must fight to protect her honour and agency.

Production support for Cymbeline is generously provided by The Westaway Charitable Foundation.

Photo: From Top: Lucy Peacock and Allison Edwards-Crewe. Photography by Ted Belton.

Hedda Gabler

BY HENRIK IBSEN

A NEW VERSION BY PATRICK MARBER

FROM A LITERAL TRANSLATION BY KAREN AND ANN BAMBOROUGH

DIRECTED BY MOLLY ATKINSON

VENUE: TOM PATTERSON THEATRE

APRIL 25—SEPT 28 | OPENS MAY 30

"I WANTED TO KNOW EVERYTHING I WAS FORBIDDEN TO KNOW."

The honeymoon is over, and Hedda Gabler is already bored with her husband and the respectable life he represents. When an old rival arrives on the scene, Hedda seizes the chance to challenge what society would have her accept as "happiness," instead asserting her powerful will and wreaking havoc on everyone in her reach. Henrik Ibsen's masterwork shocked late-19th-century audiences with its complex portrait of female identity and independence, while gifting us with one of theatre's great tragic characters.

Production support for Hedda Gabler is generously provided by M. Fainer and by three generations of the Schubert Family.

Photo: Sara Topham. Photography by Ted Belton.

WORLD PREMIÈRE

The Diviners

BASED ON THE NOVEL BY MARGARET LAURENCE

TEXT BY VERN THIESSEN WITH YVETTE NOLAN

DIRECTED BY KRISTA JACKSON WITH GENEVIÈVE PELLETIER

CHOREOGRAPHED BY CAMERON CARVER

VENUE: TOM PATTERSON THEATRE

AUG 7—OCT 2 | OPENS AUG 24

"I TRIED DIVINING ONCE. NOTHING HAPPENED."

Novelist Morag Gunn, estranged from her only daughter, unable to write, struggling with the bottle, is adrift in a river of memories. Travelling from the present to the past to an imagined future, Morag's journey encompasses her personal struggle for freedom and expression as well as those of the Métis and First Nations peoples of Manitoba. Adapted from Margaret Laurence's classic Canadian novel, The Diviners receives its world première at the Stratford Festival.

Production support for The Diviners is generously provided by Karon C. Bales & Charles E. Beall, by Cathy & Paul Cotton, by the Harkins & Manning families in memory of Jim & Susan Harkins, by The Fabio Mascarin Foundation and by The Tremain Family.

Photo: From Left: Julie Lumsden, Portrait by Danny Shumov; Irene Poole, Portrait by Ted Belton.

Edward Albee's
The Goat or, Who is Sylvia?

DIRECTED BY DEAN GABOURIE

VENUE: STUDIO THEATRE

JUNE 26-SEPT 29 | OPENS AUG 9

"THE SENSE THAT EVERYTHING GOING RIGHT IS A SURE SIGN THAT EVERYTHING'S GOING WRONG."

Celebrated architect Martin Gray is easing into dignified middle age when he shatters his reputation and family life by falling in love with a goat. What can he do-the heart has its reasons! The winner of the Tony Award for Best Play, The Goat or, Who Is Sylvia? challenges our contemporary notions of tolerance with the dizzying wordplay and wit that crowned Edward Albee one of the great 20th-century playwrights.

Production support for The Goat or, Who is Sylvia? is generously provided by Sylvia Soyka.

Photo: From Left: Lucy Peacock and Rick Roberts. Photography by Ted Belton.

WORLD PREMIÈRE

Get That Hope

BY ANDREA SCOTT

DIRECTED BY ANDRÉ SILLS

VENUE: STUDIO THEATRE

JULY 21—SEPT 28 | OPENS AUG 10

"YOU GOT TO TAKE A LIKKLE BIT OF SUFFERIN' TO GET THAT HOPE."

Richard Whyte is determined to celebrate Jamaican Independence Day in style. The rice is soaking, the ginger beer is cooling and today his lottery ticket is finally going to hit it big! But Richard's squabbling family have other ideas, and over the course of a single sweltering day in Toronto's Little Jamaica, a lifetime of buried secrets and dreams will finally come to light. Making its world première at Stratford's Studio Theatre, Get That Hope is a bittersweet drama of personal and cultural diasporas that brims with laughter and tears.

Production support for Get That Hope is generously provided by Bryan Blenkin & Alan Rowe and by Sylvia D. Chrominska.

Photo: From Left: Celia Aloma, Kim Roberts and Conrad Coates. Photography by Ted Belton.

On-Sale Dates

Members can begin ordering online and by phone beginning on Sunday, November 12 at noon. Find a full list of Member priority booking dates below. 

On-sale dates and times for Groups, Schools and all patrons are also listed below.

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 All times are Eastern Time.