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Full Description
This analysis of the Stratford Festival examines the full history of one of the largest and oldest dedicated centres for the performance of Shakespeare in North America.
In English-speaking Canada, the Festival has become the unofficial national theatre, drawing both praise and criticism. Dividing its history into three distinct periods, the volume begins with the foundation of the company, moving through its middle years of expansion and securing stability, and ending with an exploration of staging Shakespeare in the 21st century. Through case studies of productions, covering each artistic director from Tyrone Guthrie to Antoni Cimolino, it highlights issues of national identity but also the relationship between actor and audience on the Festival's unique thrust stage. It not only explores the work of international stars such as Christopher Plummer, but also that of longstanding company members William Hutt and Martha Henry, emphasizing the Festival's collective spirit.
This book argues that the Stratford Festival holds an influential position in the theatre world generally and in the Shakespeare performance environment specifically. Initially this was because of the original stage built for its opening, but increasingly it has been due to the way that it has used Shakespeare's work to articulate complex questions about identity and utilized technology to reach new audiences. The Festival and its collaborative working methods grew out of a particular social and political climate, and when the actors and directors who trained at the Festival took their training and its influences elsewhere, they spread its impact.
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Series Preface
Preface
Foreword - The 'Miracle' of 1953, Neil Carson, Founding Member of the Acting Company
Introduction
Foundations
1. The Stratford Myth Retold
2. Openings, Beginning, Origins - Tyrone Guthrie (1953-5)
3. Establishing a New Theatre Building and an Institutional Structure - Michael Langham (1956-67)
Achieving Maturity and Stability
4. Canadian Expansion and British Reinvention - Jean Gascon and Robin Phillips (1968-80)
5. A Challenging Time of Change - John Hirsch and John Neville (1981-89)
6. From Festival to Corporation - David William and Richard Monette (1990-2002)
Moving Towards a New Model
7. The Stratford Festival in the 21st Century - Monette, McAnuff and Cimolino (2002-22)
8. The Search for a Canadian Hamlet at the Festival
9. Creating a Legacy with The Tempest at the Festival
Conclusion - 2022-3 as a Moment of Reorientation for the Company
References
Index
