Detroit to Stratford – $40 Return Bus Service

“Nini Lisy’s recent trip to the Stratford Festival was similar to others she has taken since 1989…What was different this time was Lisy’s mode of transportation. Lisy and her husband, Joe, boarded a sleek new Stratford-sponsored bus that picked them up and dropped them off just a few miles from their St. Clair Shores home. She says it helped make this year’s trip one of the best ever.” – A great feature on our direct Detroit to Stratford bus service from the Detroit Free Press. Read here: http://on.freep.com/1jLycXH

The Detroit to Stratford – $40 return bus service offers routes from two convenient Detroit locations and from each Stratford theatre! Click here for more: http://bit.ly/1jLyDkM

Press Release | Stage management pioneer Jack Merigold dies at 91

December 12, 2013… Jack Merigold, part of the Stratford Festival’s first stage management team, died Wednesday, December 11, at age 91 from pancreatic cancer. Jack was well loved by many generations of his Festival family and will be greatly missed.

“Jack was the dean of Canadian stage managers,” says Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino. “He worked with the Stratford Festival’s founding Artistic Director, Tyrone Guthrie, in Stratford, New York and London. Jack’s skill and precision were equaled only by his energy and so he was an asset to any theatre company. But for a new and growing theatre scene in Canada he was a pioneer.

“Jack attended Stratford productions, play readings and Birmingham Conservatory presentations faithfully to his last days. He will be missed by the entire Canadian theatre family but nowhere more than here at the Stratford Festival where his journey started.”

Mr. Merigold was born in Hamilton on November 7, 1922. He served in the RCAF during the Second World War and helped produce the Sky’s the Limit Air Force comedy shows. When Mr. Merigold returned to Canada in 1946, he was accepted into the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, where he completed a two-year program in voice and acting. There were virtually no professional opportunities for actors in the country at that time, so upon graduation, he and some fellow graduates of the program formed a touring group called the People’s Repertory Company, which toured from 1948 to ’49 with a converted war-time dental truck carrying eight people and four theatrical sets to town halls and city auditoriums across Ontario. It was with this group that he first stage managed a production.

Mr. Merigold quickly made a name for himself and was hired as an assistant stage manager by Tyrone Guthrie for the Festival’s inaugural season in 1953. He soon became Dr. Guthrie’s stage manager and their working relationship stretched beyond Stratford to include 12 productions in New York and four in London.

Mr. Merigold was with the Festival for 16 seasons between 1953 and 1976, in a variety of roles. He was the production stage manager for the Avon Theatre and for opera, and later served as the purchasing agent. He was the assistant to the director on 1960’s HMS Pinafore and 1961’s The Pirates of Penzance, a production in which he also appeared as an actor. In 1974 he directed This Is the Rill Speaking at the Third Stage (now the Tom Patterson Theatre).

His acting career included a recurring role on CBC TV’s Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town and appearances on the Wayne and Shuster TV specials. He worked with Lorne Greene at the Jupiter Theatre and performed at the Eaton Auditorium, the Royal Alexandra Theatre and the Belmont Theatre. He was the co-creator of a program called Theatre in the Home, which brought professional performances into retirement homes.

As a stage manager he also travelled coast to coast with Spring Thaw. Later in his career, after leaving the Stratford Festival, he served as the chief administrator of the Bayview Playhouse in Toronto. Mr. Merigold was a longtime member of ACTRA and was awarded Life Membership in Canadian Actor’s Equity for his outstanding contribution to the arts.

Mr. Merigold was always happy to share a story or two about his life in the theatre. He recounted tales of working with the greatest performers in the world and of meeting Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, but he said his greatest pleasure was giving young people a start in the theatre. Indeed many remember Jack as a great mentor, who gave them guidance that served them throughout their careers – as well as some very good laughs.

The Stratford Festival is dedicating the 2014 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Mr. Merigold, who played Puck at the beginning of his acting career. Details of a memorial will follow at a later date.

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Job Opportunity | Telesales Revenue Manager

Would you like to play a meaningful role with North America’s leading classical repertory theatre? At the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, we attract the world’s finest talent, offering a unique experience for staff, artists, and actors alike. If you would like to be a part of this exciting organization, we are looking for someone to fill the role of…

Telesales Revenue Manager-Audience Development department

Reporting to the Director of Audience Development this position will motivate, coach and support telephone representatives to achieve sales and fundraising targets, in both membership and ticket sales. This will be achieved by developing effective calling scripts, managing the telesales lists, motivating and coaching representatives and ensuring all calling is compliant with calling standards and legislation.

You will have recent sales or fundraising experience and have demonstrated your management skills by motivating, coaching and developing staff and by achieving sales targets. Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, as well as discretion, integrity and diplomacy, are critical. Familiarity with or an interest in theatre or the arts is essential. You are expected to work two evenings per week, however weekends may also be required.

This is a full time position beginning early 2014.

We recognize that diversity- in our workplace, in our audiences and on our stages- fosters a rich and creative environment. We are actively engaged in building a more diverse workplace and encourage all qualified applicants to apply by January 10, 2014 to;

Human Resources
Stratford Festival
55 Queen Street
Stratford, Ontario N5A 6V2
E-mail: resumes@stratfordfestival.ca
Subject: Telesales Revenue Manager

A big 2013 thank you!

We’ve had an amazing 2013 season and there are still four weeks left to come out and enjoy some of our theatrical offerings! From fun with our “Brush up your Shakespeare” contest, to a hilarious Facebook social summary of Romeo and Juliet, to our epic Pinballapalooza where we set a Guinness World Record, to a beautiful opening week and a fabulous run of 12 shows to our three social media meet-ups, we’ve had an absolute blast celebrating our 61^st season with you! We can’t begin to say thank you enough for all of your support online and in person throughout the past season.

As a small token of our appreciation, we’d like to offer you $29 tickets for any performance of Romeo and Juliet, The Three Musketeers and Blithe Spirit for the rest of the season!

Here’s a look at these three productions!

Here’s what you need to do to take advantage of this amazing offer:

1) Log into our website with promotion code 51453.
2) Select any of the performances listed above.
3) Select your seats and check out.

OR

1) Visit our Facebook page and click on the Stratford Social Ticket tab.
2) Select any of the performances listed above.
3) You’ll be directed to the “Select Your Own Seat” page. To take advantage of our $29 ticket price, enter promotion code 51453 in the “Have a Promo Code” box and click “Apply.”
4) Select your seats and check out.

We’ll see you at the theatre!

Bring home a small piece of the theatre with you! Our Theatre Store is having a fantastic 20%-off end-of-season sale – preserve some of your favourite moments with one-of-a-kind mementos! Click here for full sale details.

* Offer is not transferable and may expire without notice. Not valid in conjunction with any other promotion or on previously purchased tickets and excludes group orders (15 tickets or more to one performance date). Tickets available in A, B and C seating zones. Performances, casting, dates and pricing subject to change without notice. All prices exclude tax and handling fees. Offer is only available online or through Stratford Social Ticketing.

September Savings!

There’s a chill in the air and the days are getting shorter! Take a break from the hustle and bustle this September and join us for a performance of Tommy, The Three Musketeers or Romeo and Juliet for just $29 on any of the following dates:

The Three Musketeers – September 21 and 26
Tommy – September 17, 18 and 26
Romeo and Juliet – September 27

Here’s what you need to do to take advantage of our sweet September savings:

1) Log into our website with promotion code 51253
2) Select any of the performances listed above
3) Select your seats and check out!

*Offer may expire without notice. Not valid in conjunction with any other promotion, nor on previously purchased tickets (new orders only). Offer is not transferable. Excludes group orders (15 tickets or more to one performance date).  Price does not include taxes or A+ seating zones. Performances, casting, dates and pricing subject to change without notice. All prices exclude applicable taxes and handling fees.

CONTEST OVER | Tommy Ticket Giveaway

We’re giving away twenty pairs of tickets to our social fans to come and see our smash hit production of Tommy on Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.!

The first twenty people to send an e-mail to socialmedia@stratfordfestival.ca along with the information requested below will win a pair of tickets to see our production of Tommy that has critics and fans raving!

In an e-mail address to socialmedia@stratfordfestival.ca, please provide us with your:*

1) Favourite song from Tommy
2) Stratford Festival account number
3) First and last name
4) E-mail address

Good luck and please ensure that you will be available to attend Tommy on Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. before you reply! 

*Please note that failure to include any of the information requested above will render your submission null and void. Do not leave your personal information on our blog such as your Festival account number and e-mail address. We will only consider entries sent to socialmedia@stratfordfestival.ca.

CONTEST OVER | TICKET GIVEAWAY | See Romeo and Juliet tonight!

Join us tonight for a performance of Romeo and Juliet!

The first ten people to send an e-mail to socialmedia@stratfordfestival.ca along with the information requested below will win a pair of tickets to see Romeo and Juliet tonight — July 31, 2013, at 8:00 p.m.!

Please provide us with your:

1) Stratford Festival account number
2) First and last Name
3) E-mail Address

Failure to include any of the requested information will render your submission null and void.

Press Release | The Merchant of Venice begins previews Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino at the helm

July 30, 2013… Issues of intolerance and the vengeance it provokes lie at the heart of Shakespeare’s most controversial play, The Merchant of Venice, which begins previews Tuesday, July 30, at the Festival Theatre.

Directed by Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino, who has already had tremendous success with this season’s sold-out run of Mary Stuart, this production will be set in Italy in the 1930s.

“My own parents were children in Italy when the National Fascist Party introduced its anti-Semitic race laws in 1938,” says Mr. Cimolino. “The rise of Fascism and Nazism in that relatively recent era was fuelled by the very same thinking that Shakespeare probes in The Merchant of Venice: attitudes toward ‘otherness’ that range from genteel disdain to racist loathing. And those same attitudes underlie so many of the terrible conflicts that bedevil our world today. This play challenges us to search our own consciences and ask ourselves how far we have really progressed in the centuries since it was written.”

Having invested heavily in an overseas trading venture, Antonio, a Venetian merchant, cannot immediately oblige his friend Bassanio when the latter asks for a loan to finance his wooing of Portia, an heiress who lives in Belmont. Antonio therefore in turn seeks to borrow the necessary funds from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender whom he has always treated with the utmost contempt. Shylock grants him the loan – on condition that, in the event of default, he must forfeit a pound of his flesh. Antonio learns a hard lesson in loyalty when the revenge-seeking Shylock comes to collect and he is unable to pay.

Mr. Cimolino has planned the 2013 season around a cluster of themes, with several of the plays examining how we reach across our differences to find our common humanity with people we have identified as the “other.” In this case, the story of a despised outsider who seeks horrific vengeance for the abuse to which he has been subjected makes The Merchant of Venice a particularly apt choice within this season’s playbill.

“It seems to me that Shakespeare is really trying to understand how we make some people the ‘other,’ ” says Mr. Cimolino. “The Merchant of Venice doesn’t just warn us against judging books by their covers; it even goes so far as to suggest an inverse relationship between essential worth and surface appeal. From caskets to complexions, appearances ‘entrap the wisest.’ Throughout the play, people are judged by the colour of their skin, by their nationality and, of course, by their religion. As one might expect, such discrimination causes great pain; it also breeds a desire for revenge.”

The cast features Tom McCamus as Antonio, Scott Wentworth as Shylock, Tyrell Crews as Bassanio, Sara Farb as Jessica, Michelle Giroux as Portia, Jonathan Goad as Gratiano, Ron Pederson as Launcelot Gobbo, Tyrone Savage as Lorenzo and Sophia Walker as Nerissa.

The artistic team includes Set Designer Douglas Paraschuk, Costume Designer Charlotte Dean, Lighting Designer Robert Thomson, Composer Keith Thomas, Sound Designer Todd Charlton and Fight Director John Stead. 

The Merchant of Venice 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 offers theatregoers more ways to discover and examine the themes running through this season’s productions.

The Merchant of Venice will be explored through several Forum events, including: Shylock Appeals, in which two prominent lawyers argue Shylock’s sentence in front of a panel of judges including Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice of Canada; Geraint Wyn Davies Presents… “Wordplay”: Shylock, in which Geraint Wyn Davies and members of the company present Shylock, a play by Arnold Wesker that tells the story of The Merchant of Venice from Shylock’s point of view; and Who Chooseth Me, in which practising psychoanalyst Mavis Himes speaks with Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino about the insights psychoanalysis can bring to The Merchant of Venice.

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 is generously provided in memory of Dr. Philip Hayman.

The Merchant of Venice officially opens on August 15 and runs until October 18. For tickets, contact the box office at 1.800.567.1600 or visit stratfordfestival.ca.

The Merchant of Venice is sponsored by Scotiabank. Production support is generously provided by Jane Petersen-Burfield & family, Barbara & John Schubert and Catherine & David Wilkes.

The Festival’s new Toronto bus service Stratford Direct is now available twice daily on performance days for only $20 return. Reservations can be made through the box office.

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 and two new Canadian plays, Taking Shakespeare and The Thrill, along with more than 150 Forum events.

Cast (in alphabetical order)

Duke of Venice………………………………..         Wayne Best
Prince of Morocco…………………………….         Michael Blake
Waiter…………………………………………         Skye Brandon
Leonardo………………………………………         Daniel Briere
Stephanie………………………………………        Lally Cadeau
Priest……………………………………………        Shane Carty
Bassanio……………………………………….         Tyrell Crews
Portia’s train……………………………………         Nehassaiu deGannes
Old Gobbo……………………………………..        Victor Ertmanis
Jessica………………………………………….        Sara Farb
Portia…………………………………………..         Michelle Giroux
Gratiano………………………………………..        Jonathan Goad
Tubal……………………………………………        Robert King
Morocco’s train………………………………..         Andrew Lawrie

Understudy……………………………………..       Roy Lewis
Antonio………………………………………..         Tom McCamus
Launcelot Gobbo………………………………        Ron Pederson
Salerio………………………………………….        Anand Rajaram
Portia’s train……………………………………        Kaitlyn Riordan
Bassanio’s train…………………………………        Andrew Robinson
Portia’s train……………………………………        Sabryn Rock
Lorenzo…………………………………………        Tyrone Savage
Solanio…………………………………………        Steven Sutcliffe
Christian Mum…………………………………        Wendy Thatcher
Nerissa…………………………………………        Sophia Walker
Shylock…………………………………………       Scott Wentworth
Prince of Arragon………………………………       Antoine Yared
Children…………………………………………       Maddox Keller, Gabriel Long, Brent McCready-Branch

Artistic Credits

Director…………………………………………       Antoni Cimolino
Set Designer…………………………………….       Douglas Paraschuk
Costume Designer………………………………       Charlotte Dean
Lighting Designer………………………………       Robert Thomson
Composer……………………………………….       Keith Thomas
Sound Designer…………………………………      Todd Charlton
Fight Director……………………………………      John Stead
Producer…………………………………………      David Auster
Casting Director…………………………………      Beth Russell
Creative Planning Director………………………     Jason Miller
Assistant Director………………………………..     Mitchell Cushman
Assistant Set Designer……………………………     Brandon Kleiman
Assistant Costume Designer……………………..     Jennifer Goodman
Assistant Lighting Designer………………………    Sean Poole
Fight Captain…………………………………….     Wayne Best
Stage Manager………………………………….       Bona Duncan
Assistant Stage Managers………………………       Bruno Gonsalves, Crystal Skinner, Cynthia Toushan
Production Assistant……………………………       Linsey Callaghan
Production Stage Manager………………………      Margaret Palmer
Technical Director………………………………       Jeff Scollon

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PHOTOGRAPHY:

Promotional photos for The Merchant of Venice:
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/imagegallery/imagegallery.aspx?id=20297

Headshots:
http://www.stratfordfestival.ca/imagegallery/imagegallery.aspx?id=14315

$49 Tommy tickets | WATCH TO UNLOCK

Congratulations! You’ve unlocked a limited-time Tommy promotion and our cast pinball competition video by helping us reach our goal of getting 1,000 views on our teaser clip! 

Enjoy $49 tickets to a selection of performances of Tommy until Friday July 12!  To redeem this exclusive social offer…

1) Log into our website or Stratford Social Ticketing on our Facebook page using promotion code 49919

2) Select any of the following performances of Tommy :
Friday, July 12, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013 at 2:00 p.m.
Friday, August 30, 2013 at 8:00 p.m.

3) Select your seats and checkout!

We’ll see you at the theatre!

*Offer may expire without notice and excludes A+ seating and is only available online or through Stratford Social Ticketing. Excludes group orders (15 tickets or more to one performance date). Not valid on previously purchased tickets (new orders only), on exchanges or in combination with any other offer. Valid while quantities last. Performances, casting, dates and pricing subject to change without notice. All prices exclude applicable taxes and handling fees.

SOLD OUT | SOCIAL MEDIA MEET-UP | Blithe Spirit

PLEASE NOTE – THIS EVENT IT SOLD OUT AND THE PROMOTION CODE IS INACTIVE. WE’LL BE HOSTING MORE EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON, PLEASE CHECK BACK FREQUENTLY FOR MORE MEET-UP OPPORTUNITIES.

You’re Invited!

Please join us for a social media meet-up on Saturday, July 20, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Chalmers Lounge (upstairs at the Avon Theatre). We’ll be providing a light stand-up lunch of tea sandwiches and other goodies, keeping in theme with that afternoon’s performance of Blithe Spirit – Noël Coward’s hilarious romp featuring Ben Carlson, Michelle Giroux, Seana McKenna and Sara Topham. We’ll also have a cash bar for those interested in a Coward-esque dry martini. 😉

Ben Carlson (left) as Charles and Michelle Giroux as Elvira in Blithe Spirit. Photo by David Hou.

View more photos of Blithe Spirit here!

In addition we’ll be holding a draw for a pair of tickets to see any production on our 2013 playbill, along with other Festival swag!

You’ll have some time between the meet-up and the performance to visit the Theatre Store and the restrooms, and to grab your seat before the show.

Here’s a sneak peek of Blithe Spirit:

This is a great chance to introduce a friend or family member to the Festival and to enjoy a time of fellowship with other social fans.

Tickets are just $39 and can be ordered online, but don’t wait – space is limited!*

On Facebook? Try ordering the social way with Stratford Social Ticketing!

1)     Visit our Facebook page and click on the Stratford Social Ticket tab
2)     Select the July 20 performance of Blithe Spirit
3)     You’ll be directed to the “Select Your Own Seat” page. To take advantage of our $39 ticket price, enter promotion code 49603 in the “Have a Promo Code” box and click “Apply”
4)     Select your seats and check out!

To order your tickets on our website, follow these easy steps!

1)     Log into the Festival’s website with promotion code 49603
2)     Select the July 20 performance of Blithe Spirit
3)     Select your seats and check out!

See you at the theatre!

*Ticket price includes admission to the reception at the Chalmers Lounge and the performance. Offer may expire without notice. Not valid in conjunction with any other promotion. Offer not available in A+ seating category. Tickets only available online or through Stratford Social Ticketing on our Facebook page.