The Kitchener-Waterloo Stratford Festival, which has been holding annual theatre productions in Stratford, Ont., since 1953, put it’s entire 2020 season on hold amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, this summer, in 2021, the Festival will stage six plays and five cabarets in an open-air season. Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino says the lineup will center on a theme of metamorphosis.
Performances will be held under two open-air canopies at the Festival Theatre and the Tom Patterson Theatre, each with space for about 100 people although that may change depending on public health guidance. The performances will also be streamed online.
Each production will be approximately an hour and a half long without intermissions. Shows will be held at 11 AM 3 PM and 7 PM. All in-person audience members will need to wear masks and undergo health screening before taking their seats.
The Festival Theatre canopy will show:
Three Tall Women by Edward Albee from June 24 to July 25.
Why We Tell the Story: A Celebration of Black Musical Theatre curated and directed by Marcus Nance from June 24 to July 11.
You Can’t Stop the Beat: The Enduring Power of Musical Theatre curated and directed by Thom Allison from July 15 to July 31.
Play On! A Shakespeare-Inspired Mixtape curated by Robert Markus, Julia Nish-Lapidus and James Wallis from July 29 to Aug. 15.
R&J (a reimagined version of Romeo and Juliet) by William Shakespeare from Aug. 12 to Sept. 26
Freedom: Spirit and Legacy of Black Music curated and directed by Beau Dixon from Aug. 19 to Sept. 5.
Finally There’s Sun: A Cabaret of Resilience curated and directed by Sara Farb and Steve Ross from Sept. 9 to Sept. 26.
The Tom Patterson Theatre canopy will have:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare from June 22 to July 25.
The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway from July 13 to Aug. 15.
I Am William by Rébecca Déraspe from Aug. 4 to Sept. 5.
Serving Elizabeth by Marcia Johnson from Aug. 24 to Sept. 26.
Tickets will go on sale to the members on May 24. People who donated the cost of their ticket in 2020 or who did not request a refund and instead had the money placed on their account will be given priority access to tickets.
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