Stage Door News
Stage Door News
May 10, 2016… Never before produced at the Festival, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe hits the Avon stage in a magical production directed by Tim Carroll. Previews begin today and the production officially opens on Thursday, June 2. Certain to captivate young audiences, the play will also leave adults wide-eyed with wonder.
C.S. Lewis’s inspirational tale, dramatized by Adrian Mitchell, follows four children sent from their home in wartime London to live at a professor’s house in the British countryside. Inspired by curiosity, the siblings travel through a mysterious wardrobe to Narnia, a mythical land filled with spectacular creatures. There they fulfill their destiny with the help of the wise lion Aslan.
The children are played by Sara Farb as Lucy, Ruby Joy as Susan, André Morin as Edmund and Gareth Potter as Peter. Tom McCamus plays Aslan and the Professor, and Yanna McIntosh plays the White Witch.
“Although a spectacular fantasy, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is, in part, inspired by the most cataclysmic event of the last century,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “Its resonant story about the struggle against good and evil offers a whimsical take on our season’s wider exploration of victory and its aftermath.”
This is the second family classic that Mr. Carroll has brought to the Stratford stage. His breathtaking production of Peter Pan in 2010 had to be extended to meet audience demand.
“I don’t believe we ever lose the ability to play,” says Mr. Carroll. “I don’t believe that we ever lose our need to play. Maybe sometimes we forget to see life for the great adventure it is; C.S. Lewis never forgot, and he invites us to go on the quest with him.”
The production is filled with magnificent special effects courtesy of a brilliant creative team, including Movement and Puppetry Director Alexis Milligan, Set Designer Douglas Paraschuk, Costume Designer Dana Osborne, Lighting Designer Kevin Fraser, Composer Shaun Davey, Music Arranger Claudio Vena, Projection Designer Brad Peterson, Sound Designer Todd Charlton, Associate Sound Designer Verne Good, Fight Director John Stead and Magic Consultant David Ben.
To meet demand for tickets, performances have been added on the following dates:
• Thursday, May 19, at 2 p.m.
• Tuesday, June 14, at 2 p.m.
• Friday, October 21, at 2 p.m.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a Schulich Children’s Plays presentation.
Support for the 2016 season of the Avon Theatre is generously provided by the Birmingham family.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Forum Highlights
The Forum is a series of activities and events, featuring exclusive showcases, guest speakers, special meals, dynamic dialogues and family fun, that offer theatregoers a unique opportunity to delve deeper into the ideas and issues raised by the 2016 playbill and its theme of After the Victory.
Themes related to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be explored through several Forum events, including:
• Narnia’s Mythic Life
Wednesday, June 22, 10:45 a.m. to noon
Studio Theatre
While the relationship of Narnia and Christian texts has been widely acknowledged, new sides of the world are opened up when explored through the lenses of other cultures and the works of Joseph Campbell. A panel discussion featuring David Latham, Theatre Training Consultant at the Stratford Festival, and First Nations author and critic Lee Maracle.
This event will be live streamed: stratfordfestival.ca/streaminglive.
• The Victory Cabaret
Sunday, July 10, 8 to 9:30 p.m.
Studio Theatre
Company members Sara Farb and Steve Ross investigate the themes of victory and the aftermath through songs, speeches and scenes. Victory in love, victory in war, victory among family. A remarkable special one-time event with members of the company and other special guests.
Sustaining support for the Forum is generously provided by Kelly & Michael Meighen and the T.R. Meighen Family Foundation.
The Stratford Perth Museum, in conjunction with the Festival, will present an exciting exhibition in celebration of the production entitled The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Myths, Magic and Messages. On days with a matinee performance of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, tickets to the exhibit include a shuttle transfer from the Avon Theatre to the Museum (4275 Huron Road, RR#5, Stratford.) The shuttle departs at 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. from the front of the theatre. The exhibit runs until October 14. For tickets and more information, visit stratfordperthmuseum.ca.
The 2016 season runs until October 30. It features Macbeth, As You Like It, A Chorus Line, Shakespeare in Love, A Little Night Music, All My Sons, Breath of Kings, John Gabriel Borkman, The Hypochondriac, The Aeneid, Bunny and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
Photo: Clara Kittmer. ©2015 Don Dixon.
2016-05-10
Stratford: "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" begins previews