Stratford Festival Announces 2023 Season
iPhoto caption: Amaka Umeh (left) as Hamlet with Matthew Kabwe as the Ghost of King Hamlet in Hamlet. Stratford Festival 2022. Photo by David Hou.
The Stratford Festival in Stratford, ON has announced its 2023 season, inspired by a theme of “Duty versus Desire.” The roster includes thirteen lively and thought-provoking productions across four theatres, along with a full slate of ancillary events in The Meighen Forum.
The 2023 season will run from mid-April through October, featuring four Shakespeare plays, two musicals, and a wide range of additional plays.
The programming examines both sides of the “Duty versus Desire” debate, some through irreverence and comedy, others through the catharsis of tragedy. They look at social stigma and societal pressures, at selfishness and selflessness — at a time when we are all reexamining our place in the world. They also entertain and offer a healthy dose of laughter.
Below is the 2023 Stratford Festival season at a glance.
FESTIVAL THEATRE
King Lear
By William Shakespeare
Director: Kimberley Rampersad
Rent
Book, Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Director: Thom Allison
Choreographer: Marc Kimelman
Much Ado About Nothing
By William Shakespeare
Director: Chris Abraham
Les Belles-Soeurs
By Michel Tremblay
Translated by John Van Burek and Bill Glassco
Director: Esther Jun
AVON THEATRE
Monty Python’s Spamalot
Book and Lyrics by Eric Idle
Music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle
A new musical lovingly ripped off from the motion picture “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”
From the original screenplay by Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin
Director: Lezlie Wade
Choreographer: Jesse Robb
World Première Adaptation: A Wrinkle in Time
By Madeleine L’Engle
Adapted for the stage by Thomas Morgan Jones
Director: Thomas Morgan Jones
World Première: Frankenstein Revived
By Morris Panyc
Based on the novel by Mary Shelley
Music by David Coulter
Director: Morris Panych
Movement choreographer: Wendy Gorling
Dance choreographer: Stephen Cota
TOM PATTERSON THEATRE
World Première Translation: Grand Magic
By Eduardo De Filippo
In a new English translation by John Murrell
Director: Antoni Cimolino
Richard II
By William Shakespeare
Adapted by Brad Fraser
Conceived by Jillian Keiley
Director: Jillian Keiley
Choreographer: Cameron Carver
Wedding Band
By Alice Childress
Director: Sam White
STUDIO THEATRE
World Première, Stratford Festival Commission: Casey and Diana
By Nick Green
Director: Andrew Kushnir
Women of the Fur Trade
By Frances Koncan
Director: Yvette Nolan
Love’s Labour’s Lost
By William Shakespeare
Director: Peter Pasyk
You can find out more about the Stratford Festival here.
Aisling Murphy
Aisling is Intermission's senior editor and an award-winning arts journalist with bylines including the New York Times, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, CBC Arts, and Maclean's. She likes British playwright Sarah Kane, most songs by Taylor Swift, and her cats, Fig and June. She was a 2024 fellow at the National Critics Institute in Waterford, CT.
LEARN MORE
iPhoto caption: Courtesy of the St. Michael's College Troubadours.
A Lord of the Flies adaptation hits the Hart House Theatre stage this weekend
Andrea Perez is set to direct the student-led production, which will reimagine the story through a de-colonialist lens.
iPhoto caption: Photo of Annemieke Wade courtesy of TAPA.
TAPA appoints Annemieke Wade as new executive director
Wade steps into the position with an extensive background in theatre, with past roles including executive director of Roseneath Theatre and Theatre Direct and company manager of Tarragon Theatre.
iPhoto caption: Beowulf in Afghanistan graphic courtesy of GCTC.
Beowulf in Afghanistan to make world premiere at GCTC
As part of its 50th anniversary season, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company will program the world premiere of Laurie Fyffe’s Beowulf in Afghanistan, in a production directed by Company of Fools artistic director Kate Smith.
iPhoto caption: Photo courtesy of The Hive
Brampton On Stage partners with local companies to present contrasting pair of fall productions
Brampton Music Theatre is head-banging to the stage with a community theatre production of We Will Rock You, while The Hive Performing Arts is staging Duncan MacMillan and Jonny Donahoe’s Every Brilliant Thing.
iPhoto caption: Poster courtesy of CBC Podcasts
PlayME releases trailer for new audio drama Tunnel Runners
Launching on October 30, the series follows Cam, a 16-year-old gifted student whose struggles with anxiety and depression lead him into a labyrinth of hidden subway tunnels beneath Toronto.
iPhoto caption: Prude production photo by Daniel Wittnebel
Toronto Fringe unveils 2024 Next Stage programming
The Toronto Fringe has announced the lineup for the 17th annual Next Stage Theatre Festival, running at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre from October 16 to 27.
iPhoto caption: Production still courtesy of The Bee's Knees.
REVIEW: The Bee’s Knees falls short of its timely premise
The Bee’s Knees might evolve into a stronger project down the line, but at present, the play and production feel swept away by the spangled allure of the 1920s setting.
iPhoto caption: J. Kelly Nestruck headshot courtesy of The Globe and Mail.
An exit interview with Globe and Mail theatre critic J. Kelly Nestruck
J. Kelly Nestruck has left the building. (Or at least the aisle seat.)
iPhoto caption: Photo of Annemieke Wade courtesy of TAPA.
TAPA appoints Annemieke Wade as new executive director
Wade steps into the position with an extensive background in theatre, with past roles including executive director of Roseneath Theatre and Theatre Direct and company manager of Tarragon Theatre.
iPhoto caption: Beowulf in Afghanistan graphic courtesy of GCTC.
Beowulf in Afghanistan to make world premiere at GCTC
As part of its 50th anniversary season, Ottawa’s Great Canadian Theatre Company will program the world premiere of Laurie Fyffe’s Beowulf in Afghanistan, in a production directed by Company of Fools artistic director Kate Smith.
iPhoto caption: My Name Is Lucy Barton production still by Dahlia Katz.
REVIEW: Maev Beaty sparkles at the centre of a sparse My Name Is Lucy Barton
In Rona Munro’s adaptation, My Name Is Lucy Barton loses some bite; it’s debatable how well the idea works as a piece of theatre. That said, Beaty gleams in a rousing solo performance that showcases her range and emotional depth.
iPhoto caption: Interior Design production still by Jae Yang.
REVIEW: Interior Design sparkles with zillennial wit
Interior Design watches its Peloton-using, social media-obsessed heroines from an empathetic vantage point, holding space for these women and their problems.
Comments