logo
How to plan the perfect trip to the Stratford Festival

How to plan the perfect trip to the Stratford Festival

Calgary Herald5 days ago
Article content
The 73 rd season of the Stratford Festival has opened to great fanfare — the heat of summer meets the passion of theatre. Themes of Harmony, Love and War provide apropos parallels to our present day and confirm the timeless relevancy of Shakespeare and the intimacy and immediacy of live theatre. The Stratford Festival in Ontario is one of Canada's signature experiences and is unmatched in North America. Here are the best ways to get the optimal value out of your trip to the theatre!
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
Article content
By whose direction found'st thou out this place?
Article content
How do we get there? Without any care in the world about traffic, gas or parking, we hop on the Stratford Direct Bus that takes us from downtown Toronto to the theatre and back in easy comfort and style. What can we do when we get there? Beyond the proscenium, the town of Stratford is renowned as being one of the most uniquely charming epicurean destinations in Canada. For things to do from shopping to dining, boating to garden strolls: This is It!
Article content
Several event series are offered to bolster our entertainment value. Peer Into the Playbill Events includes panel discussions featuring special guests, from artists and directors to scholars, convening to explore the themes and issues presented in the 2025 playbill. These series, from the oral traditions of storytelling, to the art of movement and choreography, to animal metaphors, and even creating art during war, are as evocative as they are intellectually stimulating. We gain insights into creative processes and how we can connect the dots to their real-world relevance.
Article content
Article content
The Meighen Forum Events provide thought provoking dialogue about the performances that inspire us to think about what we're watching beyond entertainment value and, at the same time, deepen the entertainment value.
Article content
When booking tickets, be sure to check out Forum Theme Weeks. The CBC Ideas Week Events explore what it takes to create peace and what ideas and values can knit a society back together; Global Theatre Week Events explores how stories in theatre and culture are shared around the world and through time. For example, for those seeing Anne of Green Gables, a fascinating addition to the experience is Anne of Green Gables in Japan and Beyond; and for those seeing Ransacking Troy, don't miss the dynamic examination of Ensemble Work from Ancient Greece to the Present.
Article content
International Media at the Forum Events punctuate the season as journalists and critics from around the world visit the Stratford Festival to watch performances and speak with the artists at the Meighen Forum. This enables us to listen to insights that we otherwise might not have considered. To hear critical conversation about the play and the production only enriches our understanding and appreciation for the performance.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Proud Canadian Kim Coates charts his rise from Sask. jock to Hollywood star
Proud Canadian Kim Coates charts his rise from Sask. jock to Hollywood star

CBC

time20 hours ago

  • CBC

Proud Canadian Kim Coates charts his rise from Sask. jock to Hollywood star

Social Sharing How do you go from growing up in Saskatoon, and going to the University of Saskatchewan, to becoming a Hollywood actor featured in blockbuster TV and movies? Kim Coates has one answer — he chalks it up to fate. Before going to university, he described himself as a jock who loved hockey and his classic car, and who'd never even seen a play in a theatre. "I was going to be a history teacher," he told CBC's This is Saskatchewan in its latest podcast featuring the Sask. actor's rise to fame. But when the word "drama" popped out at him as a potential elective he could take at the U of S, he signed up, thinking the class would be an easy pass. "And the rest is history." It started a love of acting on stage. He's still the youngest person to ever play Macbeth at the Stratford Festival in Ontario. He segued into a movie career with roles in Waterworld, Pearl Harbour and Black Hawk Down, and grew into starring roles in shows like Sons of Anarchy and The Walking Dead: Dead City. "I had no idea about the power about being on a show like Sons, which was so huge around the world and what that can do to your career," he said. Next up, Coates has a new rom-com coming out with funny man and friend Kevin James that will be released on Valentine's Day. He also recently wrapped filming in Calgary for a new movie that's yet to be announced. Through it all, Coates has stayed connected to Saskatchewan — his family still lives in Saskatoon — even though he has dual U.S-Canada citizenship. "I just feel at home in Canada and I knew I always would," he said, describing the current state of the U.S. as a "horror show." "And so for me to be a proud Canadian and talk about it every day that I get the opportunity to," he said. "I'll never stop. This is the greatest country in the world." This story is from the This is Saskatchewan podcast — your connection to the stories Saskatchewan is talking about. Every week, the podcast covers local issues that matter. Hear the voices that are creating change, shaping policy and fuelling creativity in Saskatchewan.

Stratford Festival mourns the loss of actor Michael Blake, co-star of ATP's King James
Stratford Festival mourns the loss of actor Michael Blake, co-star of ATP's King James

Calgary Herald

time2 days ago

  • Calgary Herald

Stratford Festival mourns the loss of actor Michael Blake, co-star of ATP's King James

Actor Michael Blake, who played a variety of roles during 10 seasons at the Stratford Festival, has died, the company announced on Monday. Article content Blake, 53, was considered one of the most gifted actors of his generation. He played an extraordinary variety of parts and did so with an ability and ease that was rare, the Festival said in a release. Article content Article content 'Each part Michael played was powerfully realized,' Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino said. 'His work was true and realistic. His portrayals had an integrity that was compelling. It drew you into his reality.' Article content Article content Blake also performed at theatres across Canada, as well as on film and TV, but he will be remembered in Stratford for bringing to life a variety of characters — an unforgettable Othello, a heartbreaking Macduff in Macbeth, a good-hearted Master Page in The Merry Wives of Windsor, a delightfully villainous Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, a commanding Cominius in Coriolanus, an excellent Duke of Clarence in Richard III, and Albany in King Lear. Those performances have been captured on film, the Festival said. Article content Article content It total, Blake performed in 25 Stratford productions between 2011 and 2023, including Errico in Napoli Milionaria!, Mr. Balance in The School for Scandal, George Deever in All My Sons, Edmund in King Lear, Dumaine in All's Well That Ends Well, Cleante in Tartuff, and Sebastian in Twelfth Night. Article content

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store