GUlNNESS WORLD RECORDS™ attempt at Stratford Festival’s Pinballapalooza in Toronto

PRESS RELEASE 

May 14, 2013… The Stratford Festival will attempt to set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORD for greatest number of pinball machines being played simultaneously at a single venue this Thursday in Toronto.

Pinballapalooza will also feature live performances by the cast of Tommy, on stage now in the Stratford Festival’s sensational production, directed by the show’s original Tony Award-winning director Des McAnuff, who worked with Pete Townshend to transform The Who’s concept album into the multiple Tony-winning Broadway musical.

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EVENT: Pinballapalooza

Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013

Location: First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Toronto

Time: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Record attempt time: 12:40 p.m.

Live performances: 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. on the Waterfall Stage

Record presentation: 1:30 p.m.

Photos and video may be taken at all of the above times.

Contact: Amy White 226.921.5665

Tommy, now in previews at the Festival’s Avon Theatre, opens May 30 and runs until October 19. Tickets are available through the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or online at www.stratfordfestival.ca

Try the Stratford Festival’s online Tommy Pinball game: tommypinball.com.

More information: http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/landingpages/tommy/Default.aspx

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Pinballapaolooza

Stratford Festival set for a GUlNNESS WORLD RECORDS™ achievement at Pinballapalooza

[Media Release] May 2, 2013
Calling all pinball wizards! The Stratford Festival invites you to be a part of history. On Thursday, May 16, the Festival will be in Toronto to host Pinballapalooza, an exciting event to celebrate the opening of its much-anticipated rock musical, Tommy.

One hundred pinball machines will fill the main lobby of First Canadian Place in an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS attempt to log the greatest number of pinball machines being played simultaneously at a single venue. An all-day occasion, the event will feature free game play, exclusive Tommy ticket deals through an on-site pop-up box office and spectacular live performances by Tommy cast members Robert Markus, Paul Nolan, Gabriel Antonacci and Matthew Armet.

“Tommy is the biggest musical we have ever mounted in Stratford,” says Executive Director Anita Gaffney, “and what better way to celebrate it than by throwing a larger-than-life pinball tournament that would impress even Tommy, the pinball wizard himself.

“Hosting the event outside of Stratford gives us a rare opportunity to showcase our theatre to a wider audience – an audience we hope to see more of with the help of Stratford Direct, our new daily return bus service between Toronto and Stratford. Whether you are a pinball pro, a theatre fan or you just happen to be in the area, come on out and help us make history!”

For those who cannot attend, the Festival offers two other opportunities to practise your pinball moves: a Tommy-inspired pinball machine found at different locations in Stratford throughout the season and a virtual pinball game at http://tommypinball.com.

EVENT: Pinballapalooza
Date: Thursday, May 16, 2013
Location: First Canadian Place, 100 King Street West, Toronto
Time: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Attempt time: 12:40 p.m.
Live performances: 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m. on the Waterfall StageAdmission and all game play is free.
For more information on the event, please visit: www.stratfordfestival.ca/pinball. 

Based on The Who’s 1969 concept album of the same name, Tommy tells the story of a young man who, despite having lost the faculties of speech, sight and hearing, becomes a pinball virtuoso – and the centre of a celebrity cult. In a new production helmed by its original Tony Award-winning director, Des McAnuff (who co-wrote the show with The Who’s Pete Townshend), the explosive rock opera features such unforgettable hits as “Pinball Wizard,” “See Me, Feel Me,” “Acid Queen” and “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”

Set to start previews on Saturday, May 4, at the Avon Theatre, the production features Robert Markus as Tommy, Jewelle Blackman as the Gypsy, Kira Guloien as Mrs. Walker, Jeremy Kushnier as Captain Walker, Paul Nolan as Cousin Kevin and Steve Ross as Uncle Ernie.  Set Designer John Arnone, Choreographer Wayne Cilento and Costume Designer David C. Woolard, key members of the original creative team, have reunited for this production to join Musical Director and Supervisor Rick Fox, Lighting Designer Howell Binkley, Sound Designer Andrew Keister, Projection Designer Sean Nieuwenhuis and Fight Director Steve Rankin.

Tommy is sponsored by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation. Production support is generously provided by Richard Rooney & Laura Dinner and by the Ontario government.Support for the 2013 season of the Avon Theatre is generously provided by the Birmingham Family.

Stratford Direct, the new daily return private bus service between Toronto and Stratford, began May 1. Departing once daily from May 1 to 25 and October 1 to 20 and twice daily from May 27 to September 29 (on performance days only), the round trip costs only $20.

Support for Stratford Direct is generously provided by The Peter Cundhill Foundation.The Stratford Festival’s 2013 season runs until October 20, featuring Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof; The Three Musketeers, The Merchant of Venice, Tommy, Blithe Spirit, Othello, Measure for Measure, Mary Stuart, Waiting for Godot, Taking Shakespeare, and The Thrill, along with more than 150 events at The Forum.

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Shakespeare as Shakespeare would have done it: Romeo and Juliet starts previews

[Media Release] May 1, 2013

One of Britain’s leading directors, Tim Carroll, returns to the Stratford Festival to present the most famous love story ever told. Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy of star-crossed lovers who risk everything to be together, begins previews on Wednesday, May 1, at the Festival Theatre.

A founding member of The Factory and Associate Director at Shakespeare’s Globe in London from 1999 to 2005, Mr. Carroll has had a prolific career in theatre. He recently directed Mark Rylance – the Globe’s first Artistic Director – in Globe productions of Richard III and Twelfth Night, and in 2010, he made his Stratford debut as director of the wildly popular Peter Pan.

“It is an incredible honour to be asked to do Shakespeare on the amazingly beautiful stage of the Festival Theatre,” Mr. Carroll says. “I think of the truly great theatre artists who designed and built this theatre, and who have worked on it over the last 60 years, and now here I am doing one of the big ones on that stage. If that doesn’t excite you, it’s time to check you still have a pulse.”

In its tenth Stratford production, the classic story will be performed in Original Practices, a style of performance that evokes the manner in which Shakespeare’s plays were originally staged in the Elizabethan era.

“I have staged Romeo and Juliet as though it were indeed an afternoon performance in an Elizabethan playhouse,” says Mr. Carroll. “The light will not change to suit the scenes, any more than the scenery will move to reflect new settings. We will know where we are, what time of day it is, and everything else from the starting point of Shakespeare’s theatre: the actors and the words they speak.”

The title roles will be played by Stratford newcomer Daniel Briere and Festival favourite Sara Topham. The cast also features Nehassaiu deGannes as Lady Capulet, Jonathan Goad as Mercutio, Kate Hennig as the Nurse, Tom McCamus as Friar Laurence and Scott Wentworth as Capulet.The production’s artistic team includes Set Designer Douglas Paraschuk, Costume Designer Carolyn M. Smith, Lighting Designer Kevin Fraser, Composer Claudio Vena, Sound Designer Jim Neil, Movement Coach Shona Morris and Fight Director John Stead.

In a playbill that explores communities in conflict, Romeo and Juliet is a particularly apt choice. “I have assembled a season with a particular focus on examining how we reach across our differences to find our common humanity, and few plays do this better than Romeo and Juliet,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “Although written over 400 years ago, it’s a story that remains incredibly pertinent today and one that, I think, matters so much to young people. It speaks to them; it speaks to their experience of the world. I’m thrilled to have Tim back to open our 2013 season with this beautifully imagined interpretation of Shakespeare’s classic play.”

Romeo and Juliet Forum Highlights
The Forum, the new festival within the Festival, is a series of activities and events designed to make a visit to Stratford an immersive, all-encompassing cultural experience. Through debates, talks, concerts, comedy nights, hands-on workshops and more, The Forum will offer theatregoers more ways to discover and examine the themes running through this season’s productions.

Themes related to Romeo and Juliet will be explored through several Forum events, including: Ancient Grudges and New Mutinies, in which John de Chastelain, the former Chief of the Defence Staff and former ambassador to the U.S, reflects on the Prince of Verona’s role as peacekeeper in Romeo and Juliet and relates it to his own experiences; Original Pronunciation, with Tim Carroll, in which the director explores the implications of how Shakespeare’s text was originally pronounced; and Sex and Love in Verona, Venice and Vienna, a talk by Stanley Wells, Honorary President, Life Trustee and former Chairman of the Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust and general editor of the Oxford and Penguin Shakespeares.

Support for the inaugural season of The Forum is generously provided by Kelly and Michael Meighen and the Province of Ontario, in partnership with the University of Waterloo, with media sponsorship provided by The Walrus. Support for the Speakers Series, including the appearance of John de Chastelain, is generously provided in memory of Dr. W. Philip Hayman.

Romeo and Juliet is sponsored by Sun Life Financial. Production support is generously provided by Claire & Daniel Bernstein and M. Vaile Fainer.

Stratford Direct, the new daily return private bus service between Toronto and Stratford, begins May 1. Departing once daily from May 1 to 25 and October 1 to 20 and twice daily from May 27 to September 29 (on performance days only), the round trip costs only $20.

Support for Stratford Direct is generously provided by The Peter Cundill Foundation.The Stratford Festival’s 2013 season runs until October 20, featuring Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof; The Three Musketeers, The Merchant of Venice, Tommy, Blithe Spirit, Othello, Measure for Measure, Mary Stuart, Waiting for Godot, Taking Shakespeare, and The Thrill, along with more than 150 events at The Forum.

Cast (in alphabetical order)
Montague……………………………………. Wayne Best
Escalus………………………………………. Michael Blake
Benvolio…………………………………….. Skye Brandon
Romeo………………………………………. Daniel Briere
Musician - Percussion…………………….… David Campion
Lady Capulet………………………………... Nehassaiu deGannes
Gregory……………………………………... Victor Ertmanis
Citizen of Verona…………………………… Sara Farb
Citizen of Verona…………………………… Jacquelyn French
Citizen of Verona…………………………… Barbara Fulton
Mercutio…………………………………….. Jonathan Goad
Musician - Recorder/Flute…………….….… Ian Harper
Citizen of Verona…………………………… Valerie Hawkins
Nurse………………………………………... Kate Hennig
Lady Montague……………………………... Gabrielle Jones
Abraham/Apothecary……………………….. Robert King
Balthasar………………………………….…. Andrew Lawrie
Friar John…………………………………… Roy Lewis
Musician - Violin………………………….... Mel Martin
Friar Laurence………………………….…… Tom McCamus
Musician - Lute…………………………....... Terry McKenna
Petruchio……………………………………. André Morin
Old Capulet…………………………………. Sam Moses
Peter………………………………………… Mike Nadajewski
Citizen of Verona…………………………… Andrew Robinson
Citizen of Verona…………………………… Sabryn Rock
Sampson…………………………………….. Brad Rudy
Tybalt……………………………………….. Tyrone Savage
Juliet……………………………………….... Sara Topham
Capulet……………………………………… Scott Wentworth
Paris……………………………………….… Antoine Yared
Artistic Credits
Director……………………………….…..… Tim Carroll
Set Designer……………………………….... Douglas Paraschuk
Costume Designer…………………….…….. Carolyn M. Smith
Lighting Designer……………………….….. Kevin Fraser
Composer…………………………………… Claudio Vena
Sound Designer……………………………... Jim Neil
Movement…………………………………... Shona Morris
Fight Director………………………………. John Stead
Producer………………………………….… David Auster
Casting Director……………………………. Beth Russell
Creative Planning Director……………….… Jason Miller
Associate Fight Director……………………. Geoff Scovell
Assistant Director…………………………... Ken Schwartz
Second Assistant Director………………….. Graham Abbey
Assistant Set Designer……………………… Brandon Kleiman
Assistant Costume Designer………………... Alyssa Prigioniero
Assistant Lighting Designer………………… Tristan Tidswell
Assistant Fight Directors……………………. Anita Nittoly, Kostas Tourlentes
Fight Captain………………………………... Wayne Best
Movement/Vocal Captain…………………... Barbara Fulton
Stage Manager………………………………. Bona Duncan
Assistant Stage Managers…………………… Bruno Gonsalves, Margaret Palmer,
Crystal Skinner
Production Assistant………………………… Linsey Callaghan
Production Stage Manager………………….. Margaret Palmer
Technical Director………………………….. Jeff Scollon
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Two performances of Mary Stuart added to 2013 schedule

[Press Release]  March 26, 2013… The Stratford Festival is taking action to meet growing demand for what is shaping up to be one of the season’s hottest tickets, Mary Stuart, with a quarter of performances already sold out.

Matinee performances of Mary Stuart have been added to the 2013 schedule on August 27 and September 20. Tickets are available online and through the box office.

“This rarely performed play explores the fascinating relationship between two iconic figures from history – Mary, Queen of Scots, and Queen Elizabeth I – and features two of Canada’s finest actors, Seana McKenna and Lucy Peacock,” says Executive Director Anita Gaffney. “It is the first production directed by Antoni Cimolino since he took over as Artistic Director. His production of Cymbeline was one of the highlights of last season – and we had to schedule additional performances of it as well.

“Antoni has assembled a playbill that connects through themes of ‘community’ and in Mary Stuart we are swept away by the political and religious forces that envelop this world. It will be interesting to see this play alongside some other selections in the season that expose these same forces, such as Measure for Measure, Othello and The Three Musketeers.”

Mary Stuart features Ms Peacock in the title role and Ms McKenna as Elizabeth I. Joining them are Ben Carlson as Lord Burleigh, Brian Dennehy as the Earl of Shrewsbury and Geraint Wyn Davies as the Earl of Leicester.

The play, by Friedrich Schiller, follows a period in the life of Mary Stuart, when the former Queen of Scots has been imprisoned in England because her very existence poses a political and personal risk to her Protestant cousin, Elizabeth I. As Elizabeth hesitates over decreeing her rival’s fate, Mary pleads for a face-to-face meeting, and we see how religion can become a tool in the hands of cynical politicians who are willing to sacrifice lives in the supposed interests of the state.

A number of events relating to Mary Stuart are being presented at the Festival’s new Forum, a series of thought-provoking and entertaining events planned to enrich the play-going experience. They include:

·         Dear Mary, Dear Elizabeth, in which Ms McKenna and Ms Peacock present readings of the letters of Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I, introduced and contextualized by Dr. Ted McGee. In the Studio Theatre on June 28 at 5:30 p.m., July 26 at 11 a.m., and August 31 at 11 a.m. $15.

·         Table Talk, a buffet lunch followed by a talk on Mary Stuart by David G. John of the University of Waterloo. In the Paul D. Fleck Marquee on July 9 at 11:30 a.m. $37, with a cash bar.

·         Elizabeth and Mary, Rival Queens: A Study of Leadership Lost and Won, a talk by Barbara Kyle, author of Blood Between Queens, which will be published in May 2013. In the Festival Theatre Lobby on July 10 at 11 a.m. Free admission.

·         The Power of Women / Women in Power, a panel featuring author, playwright and activist Susan G. Cole, scholar Margaret Jane Kidnie and others. In the Studio Theatre Annex on August 18, 5:30 p.m. $10.

The Stratford Festival’s 2013 season begins on April 23 and features Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof, The Three Musketeers, The Merchant of Venice, Tommy, Blithe Spirit, Othello, Measure for Measure, Mary Stuart, Waiting for Godot, Taking Shakespeare, The Thrill and more than 150 events at The Forum. To purchase tickets, contact the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or visit stratfordfestival.ca.

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Federal government extends matching funds program

[Press Release]


March 21, 2013… The federal government has raised the cap on its Endowment Incentives Program, offering the Stratford Festival a prime opportunity to raise an additional $10 million for its Endowment.

The Festival met its Endowment campaign goal of $50 million in 2007, with the federal Endowment Incentives program playing a pivotal role in that achievement.

“Matching grants are compelling motivators for our donors, and we are extremely grateful to the federal government for providing us with this outstanding fundraising tool – and for recognizing the needs of cultural organizations in this way in this year’s budget,” says Executive Director Anita Gaffney. “Our Endowment Fund sets the foundation for our long-term stability and the earnings from the fund provide the Festival with a reliable source of income for our annual operating budget.”

Effective April 1, 2013, the government will increase the Festival’s eligible match through the Endowment Incentives program by $5 million. The incentive had previously been capped at $10 million in 2005 and the Festival was able to match those funds thanks to the generosity of its donors. The cap on the matching funds that the Festival is eligible to access is now at $15 million.

The Festival’s Endowment has holdings of $57 million. Earnings from the Endowment help to fund non-revenue-generating projects, including:
 The Festival’s educational activities, which provide an impressive array of programs to tens of thousands of students every year, including teacher training, elementary and secondary classroom support, study guides and professionally led drama workshops.
 The Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre, which provides classical theatre training for 8 to 12 young actors each year, and is the only program of its sort in North America. The Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction, which provides training for 6 to 12 mid-career directors each year, offering them an unparalleled learning opportunity.
 The Festival’s Archive, the largest of its kind, which is open to the public, welcoming more than 1,600 people every year and providing answers to more than 2,500 reference requests annually. It also hosts university and high-school interns and offers a number of outreach and education activities, including talks, symposiums, tours and screenings.
 Coaching and training programs for actors and other theatrical artists and artisans.
 The development of new plays, an activity that supports not only playwrights but also theatres across the country that choose to produce the new works.

Over the past 13 years, the Endowment Fund has contributed an annual payout of about 3.5%, for a cumulative total of $17.8 million to operating activities, while still preserving the principal of $57 million.

The Stratford Festival’s 2013 season begins on April 23 and features Romeo and Juliet, Fiddler on the Roof, The Three Musketeers, The Merchant of Venice, Tommy, Blithe Spirit, Othello, Measure for Measure, Mary Stuart, Waiting for Godot, Taking Shakespeare, The Thrill and more than 150 events at The Forum. To purchase tickets, contact the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or visit stratfordfestival.ca.

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