Stage Door News

Stratford: “The Tempest” starring Martha Henry as Prospero screens at Cineplex theatres on April 13

Thursday, April 4, 2019

The Stratford Festival’s latest film, The Tempest, directed for the stage by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and for the screen by Barry Avrich, premières at Cineplex theatres across Canada on April 13.

The stage production was a truly historic event, featuring theatre legend Martha Henry as Prospero, more than five decades after she made her Stratford debut as Prospero’s daughter, Miranda, in the 1962 production of the play.

The New York Times described it as “an elaborate production with eye-popping costumes” adding, “real magic and grandeur come from Martha Henry as Prospero”. She is “one of the true greats,” says the Chicago Tribune, giving a performance full of “passion and power” (The Globe and Mail). “She’s riveting from her first moments on stage” (Postmedia). “The poetry emerging from her lips is something to behold” (NOW). This “elegant production” (am New York) is “embarrassed with fine performances” (Toronto Star). 

Befitting the play’s origins as the original sci-fi story, the production features “spectacular stagecraft” (Postemedia) and is filled with “giant monsters and sparkling special effects” (The Globe and Mail). “Seeing it is a joy” (Toronto Star). The story is one of loss and reconciliation, in which Prospero, a long-deposed ruler, uses magical arts to summon the enemies who robbed her of her throne and marooned her on a remote island with her young daughter.

The Tempest is the 12th film released by the Stratford Festival since 2014, when Cimolino and Executive Director Anita Gaffney embarked on an initiative to capture all of Shakespeare’s plays on film, allowing the Festival’s work to be seen internationally, while also creating an unparalleled educational resource. Coriolanus was released last month.

Canadian distribution of The Tempest and Coriolanus 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 the screenings, 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.

The Tempest and Coriolanus 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.

Support for Stratford Festival on Film 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.

 MELBAR ENTERTAINMENT GROUP IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL 

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ANTONI CIMOLINO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ANITA GAFFNEY

PRESENT A BARRY AVRICH PRODUCTION OF THE TEMPEST BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

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

DIRECTED FOR THE STAGE BY ANTONI CIMOLINO PRODUCED AND DIRECTED FOR FILM BY BARRY AVRICH

Photo: Martha Henry as Prospero. © 2018 David Hou.