Stage Door News
Stage Door News
The Stratford Festival’s latest HD films, Romeo and Juliet and Timon of Athens, are airing on CBC this summer, giving Canadians across the country a chance to see the work of North America’s leading classical theatre.
“The Stratford Festival is a shining example of how incredible classical theatre can be, and how much Canada has to offer the world artistically,” says Eric McCormack, a former Stratford company member and ambassador for the HD project, currently starring in the hit TV series Will & Grace and Travelers.
First to air is Romeo and Juliet on Sunday, July 29, at 2 p.m. local time. Stage director Scott Wentworth and film director Barry Avrich bring fresh life to the beloved tale of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers in this “funny, moving, thrilling” production (National Post).
Romeo and Juliet stars Antoine Yared and Sara Farb as the “youthful, impulsive, and vivacious” title characters (Toronto Star). Featuring “a perfect portrait of the Nurse from Seana McKenna” (The Globe and Mail), an “electric Mercutio” in Evan Buliung (National Post), and a “solid ensemble” (Toronto Star), this production is “captivating from start to finish” (Broadway World).
On Sunday, August 5, at 2 p.m. local time, Timon of Athens will air across the country. Stage director Stephen Ouimette’s captivating production gets a glorious treatment on the screen by director Barry Avrich. This rarely produced Shakespearean treasure tells the story of Timon, a tremendously generous nobleman, who lavishes gifts upon his friends and entertains in high style. He’s the most popular man in Athens – until his money runs out.
Joseph Ziegler, “a superb, nuanced actor … amazes” in the title role (The Buffalo News), with “Ben Carlson, Michael Spencer-Davis and Tim Campbell bringing weight and clarity to their secondary roles” (Toronto Star). Mr. Ouimette has set Shakespeare’s timeless story in the 21st century and “the themes fit well in a self-absorbed world of virtual reality goggles, cellphone selfies and vacuous club music” (Postmedia). This stirring production from the Stratford Festival is both “captivating and heartbreaking” (Broadway World).
“We are thrilled to once again be working with CBC, which from the start has been a huge supporter of the Stratford Festival HD project and our goal to share all of Shakespeare’s plays with Canadians from coast to coast to coast,” says Executive Director Anita Gaffney.
Stratford’s films, produced by Barry Avrich, have been praised for presenting Shakespeare with spectacular clarity, offering new inspiration to even the most seasoned theatregoer. Captured with seven cameras and 128 channels of sound during a single live performance, each production is faithful to the stage version, but adds the intimacy of film with an array of camera angles that bring the audience even closer than Stratford’s remarkably intimate theatres already allow.
Earlier this year, the films were screened at cinemas across Canada through Cineplex, which specializes in bringing world-class events and performances to the big screen. U.S. distribution continues throughout the year.
Stratford Festival HD is sponsored by Sun Life Financial as part of their Making the Arts More Accessible® program.
Support for Stratford Festival HD is generously provided by The John and Myrna Daniels Charitable Foundation, Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, the Jenkins Family Foundation, the Henry White Kinnear Foundation, Ophelia & Mike Lazaridis, The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Sandra & Jim Pitblado, the Slaight Family Foundation, Robert & Jacqueline Sperandio, and an anonymous donor.
Support for Stratford Festival HD has also been provided by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, through investStratford (the Stratford Economic Enterprise Development Corporation).
MELBAR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANTONI CIMOLINO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANITA GAFFNEY
PRESENT A BARRY AVRICH PRODUCTION OF ROMEO AND JULIET AND TIMON OF ATHENS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
PRODUCER SUSAN EDWARDS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOE INTERISANO EDITED BY GEORGE ROULSTON
ROMEO AND JULIET DIRECTED FOR THE STAGE BY SCOTT WENTWORTH
TIMON OF ATHENS DIRECTED FOR THE STAGE BY STEPHEN OUIMETTE
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED FOR FILM BY BARRY AVRICH
Photo: Antoine Yared and Sara Farb in Romeo and Juliet. ©2017 Lynda Churilla.
2018-07-18
Stratford: Stratford Festival’s "Romeo and Juliet" and "Timon of Athens" to be broadcast on CBC this summer