It began as a dream called the Stratford Shakespearean Festival of Canada. Tom Patterson was a journalist in Stratford on Avon, Ontario, namesake of Shakespeare’s birthplace in England.
Patterson wanted to revitalize his town’s economy by creating a theatre festival dedicated to the works of William Shakespeare.
A series of fortunate coincidences came together, including the interest of legendary British director Tyrone Guthrie who saw this as a chance to transform the way Shakespeare was performed and so became its first artistic director.
What began in a large tent in 1953, nevertheless began to quickly gain international status due to attracting top talent even its first year when Alec Guiness and Irene Wirth were in the cast for the first production of Richard III.
Other big names through the years have included Paul Scofield, William Shatner, Sarah Polley, and so many others
Now known as the Stratford Festival, in its ambitious schedule this year, the 450th anniversary of famous playwright and poet William Shakespeare, the festival will stage five Shakespeare plays including King Lear, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a chamber play version, King John, and Anthony and Cleopatra.
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/
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