Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The Stratford Festival is celebrating its 65th season, and to mark the occasion of the very first performance on July 13, 1953, former Romeos and Juliets have gathered today for the July 13 matinee of Romeo and Juliet.
Those attending include Colm Feore and Seana McKenna (1984); Antoni Cimolino and Megan Follows (1992); Graham Abbey (2002); Gareth Potter and Nikki M. James (2008); and this season’s Antoine Yared and Sara Farb. Also in attendance are performers from two related productions: Tom Rooney, who played Romeo in Robert Lepage’s bilingual production of Romeo & Juliette in 1990, which was staged in a tent on the Festival grounds; and Annette av Paul, who did a ballet performance as Juliet with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens for the Festival’s opening night gala in 1979.
“What a great way to celebrate 65 seasons of passion, love and creativity,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “In bringing together our former Romeos and Juliets, we not only celebrate Shakespeare but also the central role that the Stratford Festival has played in developing Canadian talent.”
From left: Colm Feore, Seana McKenna, Graham Abbey,
Antoni Cimolino, Megan Follows, Sara Farb, Nikki M. James,
Antoine Yared, Annette av Paul, Tom Rooney. Photo by Scott Wishart.
Before attending the matinee performance of Romeo and Juliet, the actors gathered with some of their former cast mates to reminisce and to share messages from the Romeos and Juliets who were unable to attend, including Louise Marleau and Christopher Walken (1968), Marti Maraden (1977), Albert Schultz and Susan Coyne (1987), Marion Day (1997), Claire Jullien (2002), Daniel Briere and Sara Topham (2013).
They also fondly remembered those who have passed away: Julie Harris and Bruno Gerussi (1960), Richard Monette (1977) and Jonathan Crombie (1997).
65 years of artistic and economic impact
Conceived by Tom Patterson as an economic stimulus for the city of Stratford, the Festival has seen tremendous growth since its remarkable first performance under a tent in 1953. Originally planned as a six-week festival featuring two plays by William Shakespeare, the event surpassed its goals immediately, extending to eight weeks that first year, and growing rapidly thereafter. By 1960, Stratford’s tourism infrastructure was beginning to develop and more than one million people had attended a performance at the Festival.
This year, that number will swell to almost 28 million. Stratford is now renowned as one of the world’s most popular cultural tourism destinations. While 90% of visitors come to Stratford because of the Festival, they find a picturesque town filled with charm and big city amenities including culinary gems, a range of appealing accommodations, fabulous shopping and glorious parkland.
The Festival has never forgotten its key role within the community of Stratford – to serve as an economic stimulus while accomplishing something of value to the world.
It first reached beyond its borders in 1956, between its third and fourth seasons, opening its first Broadway production, Tamburlaine the Great, garnering two Tony nominations. In the ensuing years, it has sent another six productions to Broadway, earning 12 more Tony nominations and two wins. Other productions have been sent to non-Broadway theatres in New York, and the company has toured with more than 80 productions, performing throughout Canada and the U.S., and in England, Scotland, Venezuela, Bermuda, Australia, Denmark, The Netherlands, Poland and the U.S.S.R.
In 1957, the permanent Festival Theatre was built around the existing auditorium that was once housed in a massive tent. The purchase of the Avon Theatre followed in 1963. In 1971, the Third Stage opened and was renamed the Tom Patterson Theatre, after the Festival’s founder, to mark the 25th season. For the Festival’s 50th season, a fourth theatre, the Studio, opened in 2002.
The Stratford Festival inspired the creation of a number of regional theatres across the country and in the U.S., and launched the careers of hundreds of Canadian theatrical artists and artisans. Its revolutionary stage, designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch, was copied around the world.
Today, the Stratford Festival is North America’s leading classical theatre, drawing half a million visitors a year. It presents a seven-month season of a dozen or more plays in its four theatres, along with a Forum of events to enrich the play-going experience. With the works of Shakespeare at its core, the Festival features classics, contemporary dramas, musical theatre and new plays – including two world premières this season alone.
With a staff of about 1,000, the Festival is Stratford’s biggest employer. A 2016 study by the Conference Board of Canada revealed the Festival’s massive impact on the local economy. In addition to money spent directly at the Festival, Festival tourists spend $65.6 million in the community each year – and that spending generates another 1,200 full-year jobs. The Festival contributes almost $150 million to the national economy. In total, it generates $5 million in taxes for Stratford’s municipal government and $54 million in annual taxes for all levels of government. In contrast, the Festival receives approximately $3 million a year from the federal and provincial governments and no municipal funding.
According to recent research conducted by Abacus Data, the vast majority of Stratford residents see the Festival as having a positive impact on the city. It estimates that close to 90% of residents have attended a performance at some point, with almost half seeing multiple shows. About 80% of people know someone who works for the Festival, and a similar number know someone whose job benefits from it.
The Festival is a not-for-profit, charitable organization. With an annual budget of $60 million, almost all of which comes from ticket sales and private donors, it is one of the largest arts organizations in Canada.
In 2014, under Mr. Cimolino and Executive Director Anita Gaffney, the always ambitious Festival embarked on a project to film all of Shakespeare’s plays over 10 years, along with an education program that provides students with unparalleled study guides combining the films with Shakespeare’s text. After just three years, the Stratford Festival HD films have been seen by more than 330,000 people around the world. The project has generated 50 jobs and added almost $3 million to the country’s gross domestic product.
In 2016, Canadian Parliament recognized the Festival for its outstanding contributions to this country. As the Festival marks its treasured history, it faces the future with a renewed commitment to excellence and theatrical innovation.
The Stratford Festival’s 65th season runs until October 29, featuring Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Timon of Athens, Guys and Dolls, HMS Pinafore, Treasure Island, The School for Scandal, The Changeling, Bakkhai, Tartuffe, The Madwoman of Chaillot, The Komagata Maru Incident, The Virgin Trial and The Breathing Hole. For tickets and more information, visit stratfordfestival.ca or call 1.800.567.1600.
Photo: Julie Harris and Bruno Gerussi in Romeo and Juliet. ©1960.
2017-07-13
Stratford: Stratford Festival celebrates its 65th season with a reunion of past Romeos and Juliets