The Stratford Festival will begin streaming its 2021 productions again on Stratfest@Home starting January 10. More 2021 performances will be added weekly. Subscribers can watch anytime and as often as they want.

Visit www.stratfordfestival.ca

Coming January 10:

The Rez Sisters

Seven women, seven different desires - but one dream in common: Winning "the biggest bingo in the world." One day, accompanied by the spirit guide Nanabush, they leave their Manitoulin Island reserve and set out for Toronto to do just that.

This seminal work of Indigenous drama celebrates the resilience and beauty these women bring to a hardened world.

104 minutes

Jan 10 to Sep 30

A Midsummer Night's Dream

Shakespeare's great comedy of dreaming and desire has it all - spellbound lovers, quarrelling fairies, tradesmen who love amateur theatricals.

This is both a deep dive into the realms of the subconscious and a hilarious tribute to the power of the imagination.

The most fundamental techniques of theatrical art feature in a magically inventive staging of a play that is itself a celebration of joy.

96 minutes

Jan 10 to Sep 16

Coming January 17:

Selections from Play On!

Shakespeare's influence on Western culture extends even into your favourite pop hits. Whether it be direct lines from his plays appearing in Top 40 lyrics or whole songs inspired by his plots, whether the borrowers be Taylor Swift, Madonna, Elton John, The Beatles, Prince or Radiohead, Shakespeare is still there, lurking in the mainstream, as cool and as relevant as ever. This lively celebration of terrific tunes affords a great opportunity to introduce a younger audience to Shakespeare's continuing role in popular culture.

36 minutes

Jan 17 to Sep 23

Coming January 24:

I Am William

Margaret Shakespeare is a dazzling writer - in a time and place with no room for her.

Her brother, William, just wants to be an actor - and friends have just the role for him.

This interweaving of comedy, song, and poetic fancy speaks to our fascination with William Shakespeare's life and work, and will delight younger audiences and adults alike.

90 minutes

Jan 24 to Oct 21

Coming January 31:

Selections from Why We Tell The Story

African-Americans have long told stories of life, love, pain, and hope through musical theatre and poetry. In this update of the sold-out 2019 Meighen Forum concert, Festival artists lift up the voices of legendary Black poets and the music of the African-American musical-theatre canon, including hits from Ain't Misbehavin', The Color Purple, Hamilton, The Lion King, Show Boat, and many more.

64 minutes

Jan 31 to Sep 2

Coming February 7:

Serving Elizabeth

In Kenya in 1952, Mercy, a restaurant proprietor, is hired to cater the impending visit of Princess Elizabeth, soon to be Queen. In 2015, another story unfolds in London, England, where a young Kenyan-born Canadian, Tia, is working as an intern on a TV drama series about the British royal family – while also pursuing a writing project of her own. These parallel narratives seem only coincidentally connected – until a surprising twist reveals a deeper relationship between the two. Audiences are certain to enjoy this ingenious contemporary drama that keeps us guessing.

106 minutes

Feb 7 to Oct 28

Coming February 14:

Selections from Freedom

From the moment Black people landed on North American soil, their music took root and became the basis for much of the popular music we hear today. There is an endless list of exceptional Black musicians who have been lost to history while their white counterparts gained fame. From church hymnals to the blues, from jazz to rock 'n' roll, R&B and rap, we owe much of our musical history to Black culture, and it's time to give credit where it is due.

48 minutes

Feb 14 to Oct 14

Coming February 21:

Selections from You Can't Stop the Beat

What is it about musical theatre that captures the hearts of millions of fans? Through wars, disasters, heartbreaks and triumphs, musicals have been there to give us a way to understand the human experience and flourish. Has there ever been a better way to represent our inner lives than in glorious Technicolor and song? We invite you on this tune-filled ride to celebrate why musicals have always been the ultimate tonic for the soul in good or troubled times.

61 minutes

Feb 21 to Sep 9

Coming February 28:

R+J

This radically reimagined version of Shakespeare's romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet invites you into an up-to-the-minute world of sound and music, a world in which the entrenched hostilities of an older generation are challenged by the passions of young people who only want to love.

R+J is accessible to blind and low-vision audiences through an integrated audio description.

88 minutes

Feb 28 to Oct 7

Coming March 7:

Selections from Finally There's Sun

After their success with The Victory Cabaret and The New Cabaret, Sara Farb and Steve Ross return, along with Noah Beemer and Germaine Konji, to take us on a musical journey through a year of enormous change and growth. They explore the isolation, the loneliness, the upheaval and the unexpected silver linings that came out of a time like no other. Join us to reflect on this "great pause" as we move forward and get back to living freely.

71 minutes

Mar 7 to Nov 4