“This is a reminder of why we preserve the theatre on film.” – Toronto Star

Stratford Festival HD brings the epic drama and comedy of Shakespeare to U.S. screens

Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew and

The Adventures of Pericles in theaters starting April 24

Series Debut Coincides with 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s Legacy

Stratford, Ontario – March 24, 2016 – The Stratford Festival, North America’s leading classical theatre company, today announced its 2016 U.S. schedule of high-definition theater screenings of the Festival’s critically acclaimed productions of Shakespeare’s iconic works. Captured onscreen for audiences nationwide, the series kicks off on April 24 with the HD debut of Hamlet. The series continues with The Adventures of Pericles beginning May 8, and with The Taming of the Shrew beginning May 29.

Distributed this spring by SpectiCast Entertainment, the productions continue the massive initiative by the Stratford Festival’s Artistic Director, Antoni Cimolino, to capture all of Shakespeare’s plays over the next 10 years and bring them to a global audience. Noted producer and director Barry Avrich has captured the productions using 10 cameras and 128 tracks of sound to create an immersive high-definition, surround-sound experience while remaining faithful to the stage version of the productions.

Coming to theaters across the U.S. this summer:

• Hamlet – It’s been called the greatest play in the English language and this production “the most complete, most fulfilling, most satisfying in decades of theatergoing.” Jonathan Goad is witty and courageous in the title role, but also deeply human. The film excites and surprises at every turn, with a cast of some of the finest classical actors in the world bringing to life the most intense and heart-breaking relationships the stage has ever seen. Directed for the stage by Antoni Cimolino. Directed for film by Shelagh O’Brien. Produced by Barry Avrich.

• The Taming of the Shrew – Shakespeare’s boisterous comedy will stir your emotions with the love story of Katherina and Petruchio, the feisty couple at the center of Shakespeare’s most pointed social commentary. Deborah Hay gives a “performance for the ages” as the Shrew, and Ben Carlson is the perfect counterpoint as her plotting suitor, creating a

  chemistry that sets the stage alight. Directed for the stage by Chris Abraham. Produced and directed for film by Barry Avrich.

• The Adventures of Pericles – One storm at sea brings love into the life of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, while another snatches it away. This magical production of Shakespeare’s epic tale is “moving from beginning to end.” Evan Buliung gives a sweeping performance, portraying the dashing young prince with verve and swagger, and taking him into his elder years with sorrowful tenderness. A story rarely told, and one you won’t soon forget! Directed for the stage by Scott Wentworth. Produced and directed for film by Barry Avrich.

Additional screening locations will be updated weekly: http://www.specticast.com/en/categories/stratford-festival-hd-2016-series

The Stratford Festival HD project launched in February 2015 with the release of King Lear, King John, and Antony and Cleopatra. For more information visit www.stratfordfestival.ca/HD

For artwork/photos and b-roll related to Stratford Festival HD please visit https://www.hightail.com/download/ZWJWZFhsT01IcWY0WjlVag

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*U.S. and international distribution is through SpectiCast Entertainment, the fastest growing event cinema marketing and distribution company in the world.

Stratford Festival HD is sponsored by Sun Life Financial, as part of their Making the Arts More Accessible™ program. Generous support is provided by Laura Dinner & Richard Rooney, the Jenkins Family Foundation, the Henry White Kinnear Foundation, Ophelia & Mike Lazaridis, Sandra & Jim Pitblado, the Slaight Family Foundation, and Robert & Jacqueline Sperandio. The Festival also acknowledges the generous support of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Running Time: 180 minutes (including 15-minute intermission show) Rating: PG

ABOUT THE STRATFORD FESTIVAL

The Stratford Festival has been setting the standard for classical theater in North America for more than 60 years. With the works of Shakespeare at its core, this acclaimed repertory theater presents a seven-month season of a dozen or more plays in four venues, along with a Forum of events to enrich the play-going experience. Since its revolutionary first season in 1953, it has welcomed more than 26 million theatergoers from around the world, people who flock to this small Canadian town for one reason: an unparalleled quality of performance. In 2015, under the leadership of Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino and Executive Director

Anita Gaffney, the Stratford Festival embarked upon a 10-year initiative to capture the entire Shakespeare canon in spectacular HD, bringing the work of this renowned company to audiences around the world.