Stratford Festival - The Canadian Encyclopedia

Stratford Festival (founded 1953). Although its official name is Stratford Shakespeare Festival, it is commonly called the Stratford Festival. In 1951 Stratford businessman Tom PATTERSON formed a local committee to explore the prospects for an annual drama festival in his hometown on the banks of the Avon, some 177 km west of Toronto. His real motive was to find a way to save Stratford's dying economy. Patterson had thought of an open-air festival prior to World War II, but it was not until 1951 that his idea grew to an obsession - though he knew nothing about professional theatre and, in fact, believed that it was possible to use a park bandstand as a festival stage.


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Tom Patterson won a grant of $125 from the Stratford City Council with which to proceed. A volunteer festival committee was formed, whose members included Alf Bell (vice-president of Seal Power Pistons), his wife Dama Bell (an architect), Harry Showalter (entrepreneur of non-alcoholic beverages) and Dora Mavor MOORE (actress and founder of the New Play Society in Toronto). After Patterson failed to secure the services of Sir Laurence Olivier to run the theatre, Moore enlisted the assistance of playwright John Coulter who, in turn, made overtures to celebrated English director Tyrone GUTHRIE, who agreed to be artistic director and to present a Shakespeare festival in a tent theatre. Guthrie was eager to present Shakespeare on a stage that might reproduce the actor-audience relationship of Shakespeare's era. He convinced the festival organizers that an open platform or thrust stage would better serve Shakespeare's plays than one with a conventional proscenium arch. However, he insisted that such a stage be enclosed rather than left exposed to the elements. He commissioned Tanya MOISEIWITSCH, already a famous English theatre designer, to design the stage, while the tent itself (designed by architect Robert Fairfield) was completed in Chicago and moved to Stratford. There it was raised under the supervision of Roy "Skip" Manley, an American, who had worked all over North and South America as a tent-master, much of the time with the Ringling Brothers Circus.

Rehearsals took place in an old barn besieged by mating sparrows and falling eggs. Financial problems plagued the enterprise, but Tyrone Guthrie generously took a very small fee for his initial expenses, and contractor Oliver Gaffney, for his part, refused to stop construction of the theatre. The festival opened on 13 July 1953 for a 6-week season and presented Richard III, with Alec Guinness playing the lead, and All's Well That Ends Well, starring Guinness as the ailing King of France and Irene Worth as Helena. The 1954 season ran for 9 weeks and included Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (in W.B. Yeats's translation).

Musical programs, including jazz and pop concerts, symphony concerts, opera, comic opera and solo performances, were introduced in 1955, and in 1957 the tent theatre was replaced by the Festival Theatre, designed by Canadian architect Robert Fairfield, at a cost of more than $2 million. Tyrone Guthrie was succeeded by Michael LANGHAM (1956-67 seasons), followed by Jean GASCON (1968-74), Robin PHILLIPS (1975-80), John HIRSCH (1981-85), John NEVILLE (1985-89), David William (1990-93) and Richard MONETTE (1994-2007). Monette held the record for the longest tenure as artistic director, and the only one to have staged the entire Shakespeare canon during his reign. The festival took a new administrative direction after Monette, with the appointment of former company actor and executive director Antoni Cimolino as general manager and a triumvirate of Des McAnuff, Don Shipley and Marti Maraden (former company actress and head of the English section of the National Arts Centre) as co-artistic directors. In 2008, leadership changes were made and Des McAnuff was asked to take over duties as sole artistic director.

Such actors as William HUTT, Tony Van Bridge, Douglas Campbell, Richard Monette, Martha HENRY, Frances Hyland, Douglas Rain, Kate REID, John COLICOS, Christopher PLUMMER, Colm FEORE, Brent CARVER, Seana McKenna, Stephen Ouimette, Tom McCAMUS and Lucy Peacock have graced the stages of the Stratford Festival, which has made a great contribution to the training of Canadian actors, designers, technicians and directors (see STAGE AND COSTUME DESIGN).

One of Richard Monette's great contributions to the theatre was the formation in 1998 of an acting school, the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre Training, first under the leadership of the late Michael Mawson, and later under David Latham. Courses last 20 weeks, during which time participants train in voice, movement and text interpretation, culminating in the presentation of a classical play for an invited audience. Actors are then integrated into the festival's company for the upcoming season. In 2008 veteran actress Martha Henry assumed the role of director of the school, with Latham acquiring the position of director of theatre training.

The stage of the main theatre, designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch with Tyrone Guthrie, was revolutionary for its time. Guthrie wanted a return to the open stage of the Elizabethans, but not an antiquarian copy. The amphitheatre is steeply sloped, with a 185-degree sweep around the stage. Although the auditorium seats 1838, on 3 sides of the stage, no spectator is more than 19.8 m from the stage. The festival later acquired 2 more stages. The Avon Theatre (seating 1083) in downtown Stratford was purchased in 1963 and redesigned by Moiseiwitsch. It has a conventional proscenium stage. Since 1971 the festival has also presented drama and music at the Tom Patterson Theatre, a small, modestly equipped theatre suited for workshops, experimental work and the training of young actors. During Monette's tenure, the Studio Theatre was added in 2002 as part of the festival's 50th anniversary celebrations. Located behind the Avon, it seats 260 patrons and is a modified thrust, with seating on 3 sides. It was built to stage experimental works, new plays and rarely performed classics.

The Stratford Festival is an internationally acclaimed drama festival. It offers a program of classical and modern plays and musical productions. The festival has grown appreciably since the inaugural season of 1953 that lasted only 6 weeks and offered 42 performances. The season now often runs 31 weeks with more than 700 performances. The festival has a permanent administration and requires an acting corps of around 100.

Though the festival is supported by the CANADA COUNCIL and the Ontario provincial government, most income is generated from box-office receipts and private contributions. The theatre possesses a major archive, which maintains records of all productions. Foreign tours to the United States, Australia and Europe have consolidated its reputation as the leading classical theatre in North America.

Stratford Festival Theatre
(courtesy Canadian Architectural Archives, University of Calgary)

Stratford Festival Poster
Designed by John Martin, 1984 (courtesy John Martin).

Stratford Festival Theatre, Interior
The "thrust stage" of the Stratford Festival affords an intimate setting for performances (photo by Jane Edmonds/courtesy Stratford Festival).

Artistic Directors of the Stratford Festival

1953-55
Tyrone Guthrie

1956-67

Michael Langham

1968-74

Jean Gascon

1975-80

Robin Phillips

1981-85

John Hirsch

1986-89

John Neville

1990-1993

David William

1994-2007

Richard Monette

2007-2008

Des McAnuff, Marti Maraden, Don Shipley

2008

Des McAnuff -

See also THEATRE, ENGLISH-LANGUAGE.

Author RALPH BERRY Revised: KEITH GAREBIAN

Links to Other Sites

Stratford Shakespeare Festival
The website for the legendary Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Features the latest news and videos about festival productions, educational programs, the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre, and more. Check out "About Us" for a brief history of the theatre and information about Stratford's theatres.

Historica Minutes: Stratford Shakespeare Festival
Historica’s acclaimed one-minute movies about Canadian history.

Theatre Museum Canada - The Legend Library
Watch a series of captivating interviews with legendary personalities in Canadian theatre, including Susan Benson and Michael Whitfield, Douglas Campbell, Desmond Heeley, Martha Henry, William Hutt, Mavor Moore, William Needles, Jean-Louis Roux, and Paul Thompson. Interviews conducted by actor/director RH Thomson. From the website for Theatre Museum Canada.

Shakespeare
A brief historical overview of the presentation of Shakespeare's plays in Canada. From the Encyclopedia of Canadian Theatre.

OFFSTAGE ONSTAGE: Inside The Stratford Festival
The website for the documentary film "OFFSTAGE ONSTAGE: Inside The Stratford Festival." Check out the video clip, glossary, educational guide and additional details about this production. From the National Film Board of Canada.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival: Fiftieth Anniversary
This CBC site celebrates the first fifty years of Canada’s illustrious Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Features a plethora of videos and audio clips of interviews with prominent personalities.

Setting the Stage: Stratford Circa 1953
Learn how Stratford's community leaders came together to create the now-famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival. This Virtual Museum website also provides an online gallery of artifacts, photographs, and illustrations.

CBC: William Hutt
A 2007 CBC obituary for the celebrated Canadian classical actor William Hutt. Check out the links for additional news and features about his life and performing career.

William Hutt
An obituary of internationally acclaimed actor William Hutt. From the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.

Celebrating Canadian Plays and Playwrights
An overview of a 2002 Stratford conference devoted to Canadian plays written primarily in English. From the website for "Canadian Theatre Review."

Stratford
The official website for the City of Stratford.

Canadian Television Drama 1952-1970: Canada's National Theatre
This article provides an historical overview of the quality drama productions that were the hallmark of the early years of CBC television and describes the impact of these programs on Canadian theatre. From “Theatre Research in Canada.”

Stratford's Caesar and Cleopatra coming to big screen
A CBC article about the showing of Stratford's production of Caesar and Cleopatra in movie theatres.

Richard Jean Monette
A CBC obituary for Stratford actor and artistic director Richard Jean Monette. The accompanying image gallery provides a poignant retrospective of his long and distinguished career in theatre.

Susan Benson
The website for Susan Benson, a leading designer for theatre, opera, and ballet. Features Benson's paintings, portraits, stage designs, books, and more.

Caesar and Cleopatra: Play even better on big screen
A Toronto Star review of the stage-to-screen adaptation of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of Caesar and Cleopatra. Starring Christopher Plummer, Nikki M. James, Peter Donaldson and Diane D'Aquila. Directed for the stage by Des McAnuff. Directed for television by Shelagh O'Brien.

Antoni Cimolino: Behind the mask
An interview with Antoni Cimolino, the general director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. From thestar.com.

The Stratford Adventure
This site chronicles the early years of the now famous Stratford Festival. Includes photos, video clips, and links to related features. From the website for the Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project.

A brilliant Phèdre waits just next door
A review of the Stratford Festival's production of "Phèdre," a Greek tragedy starring Seana McKenna. From thestar.com.

Douglas Campbell, 87: Canadian theatre giant
An obituary for acclaimed actor Douglas Campbell. From thestar.com.

Arctic Lear
View a video clip of a panel discussion devoted to the 1961 Canadian Players production of King Lear. Part of a series of videos from Theatre Museum Canada on the YouTube website.

"Caesar" with Diane D'Aquila, Nikki James
Actors Diane D'Aquila and Nikki James talk about their roles in Stratford's "Caesar and Cleopatra." From YouTube.

Robert Cushman: The year (and decade) onstage
A review of the decade's theatrical highpoints from the National Post.

Q&A: Firing on all cylinders at Stratford, says Des McAnuff
An interview with Des McAnuff, artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. From the National Post.

David William was Stratford Shakespeare Festival’s artistic director
An obituary for David William, former artistic director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. From thestar.com.

Dangerous Liaisons: Stylish, intelligent and funny
A review of Ethan McSweeny’s production of Stratford's "Dangerous Liaisons" adapted by Christopher Hampton. From thestar.com.

Behind the Scenes: Christopher Plummer, in the words of his colleagues
This news story offers a behind the scenes glimpse of Christopher Plummer's interaction with fellow actors and other members of Stratford's theatre company.

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