THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL
A Theater Festival Fever that Sweeps the Globe
by HABEEB SALLOUM, senior global correspondent
We were touring
the artist, craftsmen, wig and makeup, and administrative areas under
the Festival Theatre, which are virtually unknown to the public, and make
the plays of the Stratford Festival – 
Canada’s
epitome of literary events – possible. The day before, Molly, our
guide, had taken us through a huge Stratford Festival workshop, as well
as the largest costume warehouses in the world housing some 50,000 costumes,
all used in plays held during Stratford’s annual festivals. Today,
our knowledge of how the Stratford Festival Theatre ticks would be made
complete.
Molly took us for a tour through the innumerable rooms under the Festival Theatre, where everything needed for the plays to run smoothly was being invented, manufactured or re-built for the productions - from costumes, mechanical animals and stage props, and other objects that theatre goers see on stage. It was like an underground beehive city, as one of the largest backstage areas in North America, and it was humming with activity.
As
we passed dummy models fitted with bum pads and other types of padding
to enhance the bodies of actors, Molly, pointed to a mannequin with breast
enlarger pads, remarking in improvised poetics: “As you can see,
What the Good Lord has forgotten we can stuff with cotton!”
After the tour, it became evident that there is a whole industry needed to support the actors and their plays. The craftsmen and other workers are the foundation on which the Stratford Festival rests. They are the ones who add glamour and appeal to the plays that visitors come to enjoy.
Avon Theater
The Stratford Festival, luring between 500,000 and 600,000 annual visitors, rivals Broadway in its drawing power. Strangely, this town of some 32,000, located near the U.S. border in southwest Ontario, and surrounded by affluent-looking farms, has become a theatre centre par excellence, with an impact on the Stratford area’s GDP of over $145M. Celebrating its 55th anniversary as a centre for Shakespearean plays, it lures people from the four corners of the globe. Beginning in April and ending in November, North America’s largest classical repertory theatre with an annual budget – $53.9M in 2007 - offers the public some of the world’s leading plays.
Since its inception, the Stratford Festival has been one of the most successful and widely admired theatres of its kind in the world. For more than half a century, many of the world’s-renowned plays have been performed, and a good number of famous stars of world theatre have come to this once sleepy rural town. Called by some ‘Canada's sacred cow,’ the Festival has brought fame and repute to Canada's artistic community.
In 1832, early English settlers, homesick for their homeland, changed the name of the hamlet, which had been first called ‘Little Thames,’ to Stratford, and the river running through town, Avon - after Shakespeare's hometown, Stratford-on-Avon, in England. For many years, Stratford continued as a village in the backwoods of Canada's rural areas, until in 1951, when Tom Patterson, a businessman and a great Shakespearean enthusiast, came up with the idea of the Stratford Festival.
His concept soon bore fruit. On July 13, 1953, the Festival opened under a massive tent. The famous actor Sir Alex Guinness joined one of the greatest Shakespearean directors Tyrone Guthrie, and the well-known stage designer Tanya Moiseiwitsch, who remained in Stratford (until she died in February 2003) to launch the Stratford Festival’s premiere with Richard III and All’s Well That Ends Well.
Stratford Festival Theater
Due to the success of the enterprise in the first few years, during 1956-7, the 1,826-seat Festival Theatre was constructed in such a way that the furthest seat from the stage is 65-feet away. Evolving from the tent, which had for the first three years been the home of the Festival, the Festival Theatre was designed along the lines of the Elizabethan stage. In 1957, the 1,100-seat Avon Theatre, a former movie house located in the middle of town, and later the 600-seat Tom Patterson Theatre, were added. In the ensuing years, the venture became a successful world-class theatre festival, bringing fame and money to the town of Stratford.
To accommodate the continuing growth in the number of visitors, in 2002, the new 250-seat Studio Theatre opened its doors. Throughout the last decade, a great deal of renovation has been accomplished in upgrading these theatres. Today, some 400 people work in all 4 theatres and create some 3,000 other jobs in the area.
Through the years, Stratford's Festival has put most other similar festivals to shame. All's Well That Ends Well, Carousel, Coriolanus, Cyrano de Bergerac, Guys and Dolls, Hamlet, Journey into Night, Kiss Me Kate, Richard III, My Fair Lady, Romeo and Juliet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Taming of the Shrew, Twelfth Night, and endless other world-famous productions, are only a few of the celebrated plays produced; many of which have been enacted more than once in this country town.
While the Festival rests on a Shakespearean foundation, other classic and contemporary works, along with international stars, are featured. In 2007, of the 14 plays to be performed, four are Shakespearean: King Lear, The Merchant Of Venice, Othello, and The Comedy of Errors.
Besides plays, Stratford offers visitors other activities, such as concert recitals and readings by celebrated authors, and an extensive program of educational activities for students, teachers and others. The Festival runs its own school of professional artist development and is currently building a $50 million Endowment Foundation to ensure that its founder’s vision remains a reality for the foreseeable future.
Enhancing the theatres and their plays are the landscaped lawns and parks, as well as flower gardens. The attractiveness of flowers in the Japanese, Rose and Wildflower Gardens, and the Shakespearean Gardens containing flowers that Shakespeare mentions in his works, give the city an aura of beauty and bewitchment. Numerous other festivals are held throughout the summer - the most important being the Music Festival.
No less beautiful is the dammed Avon River, creating Victoria Lake, on whose waters swim ducks and swans, which seems to tie the connection between the Canadian and English Stratford. Americans travelling to this festival town, comprising more than 30% of the visitors, feel that they have enjoyed a taste of England.
For guests, the
town has 700 hotel rooms and a series of antique and gift shops. The town
is a fine place to experience the culinary arts. These are interlaced
by a wide range of eating-places, many of these elegant dining places,
as well as dainty bistros, ethnic eating-places and snug pubs, within
walking distance of each other. Five art galleries and the Saturday Farmer's
Market, rarely missed by weekend visitors, add to the lure of Canada's
Shakespearean home.
For 2007, as it has been for all the previous seasons, in scenery, art
galleries, dining and, especially in its festival plays, Stratford offers
something for every taste. Since its inception, the Festival has set the
standard for the production of classical drama in the Western Hemisphere,
and there is little doubt that this will continue for the foreseeable
future.
IF YOU GO
How
to Get There:
Stratford is located 145 km (90 mi) south west of Toronto - a leisurely
2 hour drive by car. However, the best and most comfortable way to travel
to Stratford is by Via Rail - contact - 1-888-VIA-RAIL for Ontario, and
1-800-USA-RAIL, for U.S.A.
For Tourism Information,
Contact:
Stratford Tourism Alliance, 47 Downie St., Stratford, Ontario, Canada
N5A 1M7
Tel: toll free - 1-800-561 SWAN (7926) or 519271- 5140.
Website: http://www.welcometostratford.com
Facts
about Stratford:
1. A good time to travel to Stratford is during the Summer Music Festival
that runs from July 25 to August 13. In its sixth season, the Festival
includes cabarets, concerts, musical productions and recitals. A combination
of this Festival and some of the plays will make for a great holiday.
2. While in town take some of the tours offered such as the Historic Downtown
Walk – a self-guided walk that highlights Stratford’s historic
downtown; and the self-guided Festival Walk, exploring the area around
and beyond the Festival Theatre. As well the Festival Theatre Backstage
Tour where visitors can see the workshops of the plays.
3. Explore the Shakespearean Gardens: Stratford was the winner of the
1997 worldwide competition ‘Nations in Bloom’ and as a result
was awarded the title of “World’s Most Beautiful City’
for a city of its size. It is noted for its gardens rich in vivid colours,
serene parks, and green carpets of grass overshadowed by stately trees.
4. If one has the time, a drive to Shakespeare, virtually on the outskirts
of Stratford, could be a pleasant interlude. Known as the ‘Antique
Capital of Ontario’, it is a small picturesque hamlet with an English
village atmosphere, offering choice bake and gift shops, a tearoom, a
50-room inn and, of course, a dozen antique outlets. Another pleasant
excursion is the short drive to St. Mary, a picturesque town that boasts
a nostalgic past. Known as ‘The Stone-town’ due to the eye-catching
architecture of its local limestone structures, it is a charming town
to visit.
5. For golfers, there are two 18-hole golf courses near Stratford: St.
Mary’s Golf and Country Club, Tel: 519-284-3704. Fax: 519-284-0908.
E-mail: stgolf@stmarysgolf.com Website: www.stmarysgolf.com; and Stratford
Country Club, Tel: 519-271-4212. Fax: 519-271-2358. E-mail: info@stratfordcountryclub.com
Website: www.stratfordcountryclub.com
My Two Favourite Places to Stay and Eat in Stratford:
Bentley’s Inn, Bar & Restaurant – a fine place in the heart of town to stay and eat. For reservations & room availability call: 1-800-361-5322.
Email: bentleys-annex@orc.ca
Website: http://www.bentleys-annex.com
The Olde English Parlour Historic Inn & Suites, located in downtown Stratford, the establishment, a fine place to stay and eat, has recently been renovated. For reservations for either the Inn or Dining, call: 519-271-2772,or Toll-Free: 1-877-728-4036.
Email: reservations@oldeenglishparlour.com
Website: http://www.oldeenglishparlour.com
Photos taken by and property of Habeeb Salloum