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PHOTO: STRATFORD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
$100 a night for a quality B&B to a
high of $250 for a luxury hotel room.
Theatre ticket prices cover an
Christopher Plummer as Caesar
and Nikki M. James as Cleopatra.
even broader range from a top price
of $134 at the height of the summer
down to a low of $10 with an assortment
of deals in between. The $10
price is for returning to the festival’s
Artistic Directors
• 1953 to 1955
Tyrone Guthrie
• 1956 to 1967
Michael Langham
• 1968 to 1974
Jean Gascon
• 1975 to 1980
Robin Phillips
(A group of four directors
(Pam Brighton, Martha
Henry, Urjo Kareda and
Peter Moss) was hired to
replace Robin Phillips.
The Gang of Four was
fired after two months
during one of the stormiest
periods in the festival’s
history.)
• 1981 to 1985
John Hirsch
• 1985 to 1989
John Neville
• 1990 to 1993
David William
roots with an outdoor production —
an innovation in the 2008 season.The
online $20 ticket lottery is for shows
at the Festival Theatre.
Another $20 deal is the
“Play On” series for teens
too old to be part of the
“Family Experience” pricing,
which offers tickets
for family members at a
third of the regular rate.
Seniors also have 50 per
cent specials at designated
performances throughout
the season.
Added to these special
offers are flex passes,
which provide three tickets
for the price of two,
rush seats, offered for two
hours before a performance
at half the regular
rate, and the Dine and Play series, a
once-a-week Tuesday deal that provides
two tickets and two dinners for
the price of one. The dine-and-play
applies to any show at any ticket price
• 1994 to 2007
Richard Monette
(A group of three directors,
Des McAnuff, Marti
Maraden and Don
Shipley, lasted for a few
months.The triumvirate
disbanded, citing artistic
differences.)
• 2008
Des McAnuff
(with Antoni Cimolino as
general manager and
executive director)
The Theatres
Festival Theatre
The home of large-scale
productions, primarily
Shakespeare’s plays.
Avon Theatre
Tradition proscenium format,
primarily presenting
musicals.
Tom Patterson Theatre
Theatre in the round,
used primarily for more
experimental shows.
Studio Theatre
A small house focused on
new works and rarely
staged classic plays.
2008 Season
Festival Theatre
Romeo and Juliet
Hamlet
The Taming of the Shrew
All’s Well that Ends Well
Caesar and Cleopatra
Avon Theatre
The Music Man
Cabaret
Emilia Galotti
Tom Patterson Theatre
The Trojan Women
September 2008 • 30 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
and a list of 10 restaurants of various
price ranges.
The aim, say festival publicists, is
to make Stratford accessible to as many
people as possible. The general
response is that more than half a million
patrons fill the four theatres every
season. They also take advantage of
non-performance events. Freebies in
this category include Meet the Festival,
at which the public is invited to ask
members of the company questions
about their craft and pre- and post-performance
discussions about shows.
Backstage, costume workshops and
garden tours at $5 for seniors are also
offered regularly.
And while the chance to see
high-quality classical theatre and top
musicals remains the main reason
for visiting Stratford, a walk by the
Avon, checking in on the Art in the
Park display, visiting the four resident
cats in Watson’s china shop,and
feeding the resident swans and
ducks add to the charm of a trip to
the Stratford Festival.
Love’s Labour’s Lost
Fuente Ovejuna
There Reigns Love
Studio Theatre
Krapp’s Last
Tape/Hughie
Palmer Park
Moby Dick
Festival Pavilion
Shakespeare’s Universe
For more information
about the Stratford Festival,
call 1 800 567-1600 or
check www.stratfordshakespearefestival.com.