Stratford Shakespeare Festival ( Stratford )

• Contact
• Website
• Stratford
• Show more Ontario

With William Shakespeare as its foundation, the Stratford Shakespeare Festival aims to set the standard for classical theatre in North America. Embracing our heritage of tradition and innovation, we seek to bring classical and contemporary theatre alive for an increasingly diverse audience.

For more than half a century, our mission has evolved to address the ever-changing, ever-challenging Canadian cultural landscape. What has remained constant, however, is our determination to create stimulating, thought-provoking productions of Shakespeare’s plays, to examine other plays from the classical repertoire, and to foster and support the development of Canadian theatre practitioners.

By searching Canada and the world for the finest talent, and by providing the conditions and training that enable those artists to achieve their most courageous work, we will immerse our audiences in a theatregoing experience that is not only innovative, entertaining and unsurpassed anywhere in the world, but also deeply relevant to, and reflective of, their lives and communities.

With an annual operating budget of just under $60 million, the Festival now employs more than 1,000 people annually. The season, which runs from April to November, offers a full program of ancillary events and activities, such as tours, lectures, concerts and discussion sessions. A wide range of educational and enrichment programs are enjoyed each year by thousands of students, teachers and members of the public, while the Birmingham Conservatory for Classical Theatre offers an unparalleled professional-development opportunity for theatre artists.

Photos: Fergus Scottish Festival and Highland Games, Shaw Festival Theatre