Stage Door News
Stage Door News
July 31, 2014… The Stratford Festival is hosting a season-long celebration of the 450th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare, with five Shakespeare productions on its stages and a series of events at the Forum. Starting on Friday, August 15, the Bard will be the focus of a very special week of workshops, exhibits, fascinating talks, lively improv and performances.
The celebration kicks off with Apocrypha No More: Shakespeare’s Collaborative Plays, in which company members Graham Abbey, Jonathan Goad, Seana McKenna and Stephen Ouimette join leading scholars Eric Rasmussen and Will Sharpe to explore non-canonical plays believed to reveal Shakespeare’s hand. This is a unique opportunity to hear rarely recited texts brought to life, such as Arden of Faversham, Edward III and Thomas Lord Cromwell.
A notable highlight of the week is a two-day exhibit of Shakespeare’s First Folio. For the first time, the Festival will have Canada’s only copy of the 1623 First Folio of Shakespeare’s works on display at the Stratford Perth Museum. In conjunction, Dr. Rasmussen, who spent 20 years studying the 232 surviving copies of the Folio, will return to host Secrets of the Shakespeare First Folio, sharing stories of those who have possessed, lost, stolen and treasured these priceless pieces of cultural history.
“I’m excited to kick our Shakespeare celebrations into high gear this month with a great lineup of Forum events,” says Executive Director Anita Gaffney. “This is a rare opportunity for our patrons to explore his great work with some of the world’s leading scholars, academics and actors. From delving into rarely recited Renaissance plays to learning to improvise in iambic pentameter to the once-in-a-lifetime chance to view the First Folio, this series is sure to delight and inspire those who share our love of Shakespeare.”
Other scheduled events include dance and improvisation workshops, explorations of Shakespeare’s texts and sonnets, discussions on Shakespeare theatres and festivals, and an exhilarating performance in which a play is spontaneously created right in front of an audience.
The full schedule includes:
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15
Apocrypha No More: Shakespeare’s Collaborative Plays
Studio Theatre, 9 a.m. to noon.
Why were plays such as The London Prodigal, A Yorkshire Tragedy and Sir Thomas More excluded from the First Folio of Shakespeare’s collected works? William Shakespeare and Others: Collaborative Plays is the first edition in over 100 years of the fascinating body of plays that has become known as “The Shakespeare Apocrypha.” Join the edition’s contributing editors, Eric Rasmussen and Will Sharpe, along with company members Graham Abbey, Jonathan Goad, Seana McKenna and Stephen Ouimette, in this full-morning exploration of issues of authorship, collaboration and attribution surrounding Shakespeare’s body of work.
Admission: $15.
Support for this event is generously provided by Dr. Jules and Josephine Harris.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 16
Shakespeare’s First Folio Exhibit
Stratford Perth Museum, 4275 Huron Road, Stratford, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For the first time in history, the only copy in Canada of the 1623 edition of Shakespeare’s works – lent to the Festival by the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto – is on display. Scott Schofield of Huron University College will be in attendance from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. to answer questions.
Admission: $15.
Secrets of Shakespeare’s First Folio
Studio Theatre, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Eric Rasmussen of the University of Nevada/Reno spent two decades studying the 232 surviving copies of the First Folio, the collection of Shakespeare’s plays published by his friends after his death. His research resulted in a definitive scholarly work as well as a general-interest book, The Shakespeare Thefts: In Search of the First Folios. While the only Canadian-held copy of the Folio is displayed in Stratford, Dr. Rasmussen shares stories of those who have possessed, lost, stolen and treasured these priceless pieces of cultural history.
Admission: $25.
This event will be live streamed: stratfordfestival.ca/livestream.
Elizabethan Court Dance
Studio Theatre lobby, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Learn dances from the period and how they functioned in the social order with instructor Rebecca Harper. Class size is limited so early registration is encouraged to secure a spot.
Admission: $25.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 17
Souls Under Pressure
Studio Theatre, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
“Where is the soul in Shakespeare?” Taking King Lear as their focus, Torrance Kirby and Paul Yachnin of McGill University ask what happens to the human spirit, in Shakespeare’s time and in ours, when people are pushed to the limits of endurance. Colm Feore joins the discussion, offering insights from an actor’s point of view.
Admission: $25.
Shakespeare’s First Folio Exhibit
Stratford Perth Museum, 4275 Huron Road, Stratford, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For the first time in history, the only copy in Canada of the 1623 edition of Shakespeare’s works – lent to the Festival by the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library at the University of Toronto – is on display.
Admission: $15.
MONDAY, AUGUST 18
Shakesprov
Avon Rehearsal Hall 1 (meet in Studio Theatre lobby), 10 a.m. to noon.
How hard could it have been for one man to have written Shakespeare’s canon? In this fun, engaging workshop, learn the keys to inventing your own lost Shakespeare play on the spot. Notable improviser, Second City Faculty and Shakespeare enthusiast Marjorie Malpass will help participants uncover the secrets of improvising in Iambic. Playing with imagery, inventing words, finding just the right insults – discover the power of being your own Bard.
Admission: $40.
Embodying Shakespeare’s Text
Studio Theatre lobby, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Explore and immerse yourself in the power of Shakespeare’s words. Led by Festival coaching staff and special guest artists, this three-hour workshop engages you in the processes Festival actors use to inhabit Shakespeare’s worlds.
Admission: $40.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 19
Shakespeare’s History
Studio Theatre, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Explore the playbill’s three examples of Shakespearean chronicle: King Lear (legendary), King John (historical) and Antony and Cleopatra (Roman) with leading Shakespeare scholar Alexander Leggatt and Dr. Margaret-Jane Kidnie of Western University.
Admission: $25.
The Life and Adventures of Sam Wanamaker: The Man Who Built the Globe
Studio Theatre, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sam Wanamaker is best known as the visionary founder of Shakespeare’s Globe, the theatre for which he campaigned tirelessly in the last third of his life. This illustrated talk by Paul Prescott, of the University of Warwick, draws on previously unseen archival material to present key episodes in Wanamaker’s extraordinary journey as actor, director and cultural entrepreneur from Depression-era Chicago to Thatcher’s Britain.
Admission: $15.
The Playwright’s Crucible
Studio Theatre, 11:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
As in Shakespeare’s day, watch a playwright contend with argumentative actors, demanding management and a temperamental director as they try to create his play before your eyes. Created by Joanne O’Sullivan, with company members Maev Beaty, Shane Carty, John Kirkpatrick and Brigit Wilson, director Alan Dilworth and Governor General Award winning playwright Erin Shields.
Admission: $30.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20
Not with the Eye
Studio Theatre, 11 a.m. to noon.
Dr. Adrienne Harris, eminent psychoanalyst and faculty and supervisor at New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, joins Dr. M.J. Kidnie, English professor at Western University and Shakespeare specialist with an interest in the politics of race, gender and appropriation, for a discussion on the aesthetics of gender – homosexuality, bisexuality, transgender and love – as portrayed on stage in Shakespeare’s time and now. This event will be moderated by Greg Kelly, executive producer for CBC Radio’s Ideas.
Admission: $25.
Shakespeare on the Road
Festival Theatre lobby, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Paul Edmondson from the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and Dr. Paul Prescott from the University of Warwick tell their story of reverse pilgrimage and shine a light on Shakespeare festivals across North America.
Admission: Free.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 21
Talking Theatre: Paul Edmondson of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Tom Patterson Theatre, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
In this special edition of Talking Theatre, Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino is joined by Paul Edmondson of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust for a discussion centred on the Shakespeare offerings on this season’s playbill and the extreme thoughts and emotions presented with them.
Admission: Free.
Masks, Madness and Shakespeare’s Sonnets
Studio Theatre, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Festival company members including Ruby Joy, Sara Orenstein, Gareth Potter, Tyrone Savage and Sanjay Talwar use character half-masks to explore Shakespeare’s sonnets. The masks liberate a subconscious creative inspiration that facilitates an actor’s mysterious connection between character and poetry. Shakespeare’s sonnets, spoken live, are rendered personal, intimate, powerfully moving and, above all, surprisingly lucid. Directed and compiled by veteran Canadian theatre director Guy Sprung in collaboration with master mask teacher Brian Smith, this presentation is an entertaining and informative glimpse into aspects of the use of masks in the theatre, and an innovative window on the power and poetry of Shakespeare’s sonnets and the “madness” of acting.
Admission: $25.
This event is also offered on Saturday, August 30, and Thursday, September 4.
For tickets, contact the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or visit stratfordfestival.ca.
Sustaining support for the Forum is generously provided by Kelly & Michael Meighen and the T.R. Meighen Foundation. Support for the 2014 Forum is generously provided by Nandita & Julian Wise. Selected Forum events supported by Bell Let’s Talk. Support for Peer Into the Playbill is provided in memory of Dr. W. Philip Hayman.
The 2014 season runs from April 21 to October 19, featuring King Lear; Crazy for You; two versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Beaux’ Stratagem; Man of La Mancha; Alice Through the Looking-Glass; Hay Fever; King John; Mother Courage and Her Children; Antony and Cleopatra; Christina, The Girl King; and more than 200 events in The Forum.
Photo: A copy of the First Folio (Victoria and Albert Museum, London).
2014-07-31
Stratford: August at the Stratford Festival Forum: a celebration of Shakespeare