Stratford Festival extends 2014 season
Performances added for five productions
July 11, 2014… Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and Executive Director Anita Gaffney are pleased to announce that the Stratford Festival is extending the 2014 season.King Lear and Crazy for You will run for an extra week in October, and the three productions at the Tom Patterson Theatre, King John, Mother Courage and Her Childrenand Antony and Cleopatra, will run for an extra week in September.
“It is very rewarding to see such strong demand for our Shakespeare offerings, alongside the work of Brecht and the Gershwins,” says Mr. Cimolino: “proof that our audiences are actively seeking a full range of theatrical experiences.”
“The response to the 2014 season has been extraordinary. Sales for King Lear and Crazy for You have been through the roof since they opened to such enthusiastic reviews at the end of May,” says Ms Gaffney. “The three productions at the Tom Patterson Theatre have been selling well for months – in fact this is our second extension ofAntony and Cleopatra. By extending these shows, we are able to enhance the variety of offerings available to our patrons in September, which is becoming an increasingly busy month for the Festival.”
Mr. Cimolino’s production of King Lear starring Colm Feore was hailed as a triumph, with the Toronto Star’s Richard Ouzounian saying: “If you have been longing to encounter greatness in the theatre, it is waiting for you at the Stratford Festival.” The Chicago Tribune’s Chris Jones was taken with Mr. Cimolino’s “rigorously humane take” on the play, describing it as both “deeply compassionate” and “heart-wrenching.” The Globe and Mail’s J. Kelly Nestruck called Mr. Feore’s Lear “unforgettable,” a sentiment shared by critics and audiences alike.
Crazy for You, directed and choreographed by Donna Feore and starring Josh Franklin and Natalie Daradich, opened to rave reviews. The Tribune’s Mr. Jones described it as “an expansive, alive, visually splendiferous and very entertaining production notable for its lively and fresh choreography.” Said Mr. Ouzounian: “In one very important way, Crazy for You is exactly like King Lear: both shows demonstrate that whatever the Stratford Festival is doing these days, it does it as well as it possibly can.”
Martha Henry’s production of Mother Courage was called “the season’s must-see production” by the Detroit Free Press. It stars Seana McKenna, “an ideal leading lady” in the words of Mr. Nestruck. Notes Mr. Ouzounian: “Seana McKenna is truly the Mother of all Brechtian heroines and this production she stars in is worthy of your attention.”
King John, directed by Tim Carroll, stars Tom McCamus in what the National Post’s Robert Cushman calls “a daring performance.” Mr. Carroll’s recent productions ofTwelfth Night and Richard III took Broadway by storm, winning eight Tony nominations. Like those two shows, Mr. Carroll used original practices in his direction of King John. Notes the Chicago Tribune’s Mr. Jones: “If ever a production made the argument for doing Shakespeare as first done … then the sublime King John is that show.”
Antony and Cleopatra, directed by Gary Griffin and starring Geraint Wyn Davies and Yanna McIntosh, starts previews on August 3 and opens August 14. In February the Festival announced it was adding performances to the schedule to keep up with demand for the production. Additional performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Chamber Play were also announced at that time.
Tickets for the following performances go on sale Saturday, July 12:
King Lear
- Tuesday, October 14, at 8 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 15, at 2 p.m.
- Thursday, October 16, at 2 p.m.
- Friday, October 17, at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, October 18, at 8 p.m.
Crazy for You
- Tuesday, October 14, at 2 p.m.
- Wednesday, October 15, at 8 p.m.
- Thursday, October 16, at 8 p.m.
- Friday, October 17, at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, October 18, at 2 p.m.
- Sunday, October 19, at 2 p.m.
Mother Courage and Her Children
- Tuesday, September 23, at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, September 27, at 2 p.m.
Antony and Cleopatra
- Tuesday, September 23, at 8 p.m.
- Thursday, September 25, at 2 p.m.
- Sunday, September 28, at 2 p.m.
King John
- Friday, September 26, at 2 p.m.
- Saturday, September 27, at 8 p.m.
The 2014 season of the Stratford Festival runs until October 19, featuring King Lear; Crazy for You; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Beaux’ Stratagem; Man of La Mancha;Alice Through the Looking-Glass; Hay Fever; King John; Mother Courage and Her Children; Antony and Cleopatra; Christina, The Girl King; A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Chamber Play; and more than 200 events in the Stratford Festival Forum. To order tickets, contact the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or visit stratfordfestival.ca.
