Stage Door News

Stratford: Stratford Festival’s “Coriolanus” to screen in Cineplex theatres on March 23

Thursday, February 21, 2019

The Stratford Festival production of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is coming to Cineplex theatres across the country on March 23. Directed by genre-defying theatre artist Robert Lepage, the production was included in the “Best Theatre of 2018” lists in The Washington Post, the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and NOW. The New York Times called it “riveting” and “jaw-dropping.” The Chicago Tribune’s critic said it was “the greatest contemporary staging of this play that I ever have seen.” If you missed the “electric world premiere” (NOW) in Stratford, now’s your chance to see this “astonishing” production (Capital Critics Circle).

Coriolanus, directed for the screen by Barry Avrich, is the latest event cinema offering from the Stratford Festival, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and Executive Director Anita Gaffney, plans to capture all of Shakespeare’s plays on film. These productions are being released internationally and are forming the basis for an unparalleled educational resource.

This “riveting” and “exhilarating” (The New York Times) production of Coriolanus has been called “a landmark production for the Stratford Festival. Maybe for William Shakespeare, too” (The Globe and Mail). The production stars “André Sills, a magnetic and imposing actor” (The New York Times), with a stellar cast delivering “performances that send shivers down the spine” (The Globe and Mail).

Lepage takes the story about the rise and fall of a legendary general who must face off against the angry Roman mob and infuses it with the energy of Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring. “By resetting dialogue-heavy scenes as talk radio gabfests, and representing the uninformed mob as anonymous voices on social media, Robert Lepage helps clarify Shakespeare’s portrait of a world, like ours, overwhelmed with insincerity” (The New York Times). He “wrangles a difficult play into a heart-stopping narrative” (Chicago Tribune), “rendering a clear and cinematic version that’s riveting, invigorating and smart” (The Globe and Mail). “Rarely has Lepage’s reputation as a cinematic theatremaker been more earned” (Toronto Star).

Stratford will also present the film of Cimolino’s production of The Tempest this year – in Cineplex theatres on April 13. The stage production was a true theatrical event, featuring the great Martha Henry as Prospero, more than five decades after she made her Stratford debut as Miranda in the 1962 production of the play. The New York Times called it “an elaborate production with eye-popping costumes,” adding: “real magic and grandeur come from Martha Henry as Prospero.” The Chicago Tribune called Henry “one of the true greats.” She gave a performance full of “passion and power,” said The Globe and Mail.

Canadian distribution is through Cineplex, one of Canada’s leading entertainment and media companies, which brings world-class events and performances to the big screen across Canada.

For participating locations, show times and tickets for both Coriolanus and The Tempest, visit www.cineplex.com.

U.S. and international distribution will follow through BY Experience, the “live cinema event powerhouse” (Variety) that brings the highest quality international cultural events to more than 2,000 cinemas and performing arts centres in over 70 countries around the world as the Worldwide HD Distribution Representative for The Met: Live in HD series, International (ex-UK) Distribution Representative for the U.K.’s National Theatre Live series, and North American Distributor for the Bolshoi Ballet cinema series.

Coriolanus and The Tempest will air on CBC, Canada’s national public broadcaster, in summer 2019. Digital and on-demand release will follow.

Stratford Festival on Film is sponsored by Sun Life Financial as part of their Making the Arts More Accessible® program.

MELBAR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANTONI CIMOLINO EXECUTIVE DIRECTORANITA GAFFNEY

PRESENT A BARRY AVRICH PRODUCTION OF CORIOLANUS BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

PRODUCER SUSAN EDWARDS DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOE INTERISANO EDITED BY GEORGE ROULSTON

DIRECTED FOR THE STAGE BY ROBERT LEPAGE PRODUCED AND DIRECTED FOR FILM BY BARRY AVRICH

Photo: André Sills as Coriolanus.