This year’s lineup will spark conversation
Artistic director gives his perspective on 2018’s Stratford productions
The themes explored by this season’s lineup at the Stratford Festival — ranging from Shakespeare, to musicals, new works, family fare and dramas written in the final years of the careers of celebrated playwrights — will inspire audiences to dig deeply into the repertoire and spark conversation, says artistic director Antoni Cimolino.
This season will see women step into powerhouse leading roles typically played by men, including Martha Henry as Prospero in The Tempest and Seana McKenna as the titular
Julius Caesar. Lucy Peacock will portray Satan in John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost, while Shakespeare’s slapstick
The Comedy of Errors benefits from gender-fluid casting.
“Stratford is the leader internationally in terms of the exploration of Shakespeare,” Cimolino says. Gender expression is “a current theme around the world and one that we’re exploring as we move into the theatre of the future.”
Here’s a snapshot of the 2018 season, as seen through the lens of the artistic director. The Music Man Directed and choreographed by Donna Feore About:
Meredith Willson’s beloved musical is a family friendly production about a fraudster travelling salesman who finds more than he bargains for in an Iowa town. Artistic director’s (AD) take: “Known for its familiar songs and exuberant production numbers, The Music Man is incredibly fun and touching.” The Tempest Directed by Antoni Cimolino About:
“Forgive and be free,” reads the tagline for what is believed to be Shakespeare’s final solo-written play. Martha Henry stars as the great sorcerer, Prospero, faced with letting go.
AD’s take: “Martha is arguably our greatest living actor in Can- ada. (In The Tempest), she is the magician laying aside her art in the years ahead, so I was interested in what this does in terms of an X-ray throughout the play, revealing its underlying fibre.” The Rocky Horror Show Directed by Donna Feore About: The cult classic about Brad and Janet’s discovery of a mad scientist’s creepy mansion, stars Dan Chameroy as “sweet transvestite” Dr. Frank N. Furter. AD’s take: “A music-packed show, about finding personal freedom and not being enslaved by the conventionalities of society.” To Kill a Mockingbird Directed by Nigel Shawn Williams About: Williams makes his Stratford directorial debut with this play based on Harper Lee’s novel about race and justice in a small Alabama town. AD’s take: Cimolino feels Mockingbird, with its theme of racial injustice, is timely, and believes it will be of particular appeal to families. Coriolanus Directed by Robert Lepage About: Renowned for his innovative, multi-media approach to staging, Lepage brings his signature style to Coriolanus, the story of a proud Roman ruler who holds public opinion in contempt. The production will reference both ancient Rome and the modern power of social media. AD’s take: “The mob is the mob on Twitter, is the mob on Instagram and Facebook. It’s been carefully, carefully crafted using advanced technology in terms of marrying images on moving scenery and some beautifully inventive ideas, which I am not going to ruin for you. Let’s just say you will be surprised and delighted moment after moment.” An Ideal Husband Directed by Lezlie Wade About: This play about class structures, marriage and political corruption centres on a politician facing exposure of his secrets. AD’s take: Cimolino says it was a personal play for the married Oscar Wilde, concerned his wife would learn of his homosexuality. “This is a story of a husband who also has secrets from his family and wonders what’s going to happen.” Napoli Milionaria! Directed by Antoni Cimolino About: A warm-hearted comedy set during the Second World War, the play follows a family coping with tough times by getting involved in the black market. AD’s take: “It’s about how money can enslave, and it’s one of those great plays written at the end of great international conflict.” Julius Caesar Directed by Scott Wentworth About: Shakespeare’s play about the end of the Roman Republic stars Seana McKenna as the leader and general. AD’s take: “Caesar himself also had gender fluidity,” Cimolino points out, quoting an observation from antiquity: “Julius Caesar was called every woman’s husband and every husband’s wife.” Paradise Lost Directed by Jackie Maxwell About: Playwright Erin Shields adapts John Milton’s epic poem. AD’s take: “This hilarious and insightful” contemporary play is a “cheeky and intelligent way to look at the desire for knowledge, independence and freedom.” Brontë: The World Without Directed by Vanessa Porteous About: This new work, by Jordi Mand, has its world premiere at Stratford, with the story of literature’s famed sisters: Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. All living in one house, they write as a means of escape, finding selfesteem and financial independence. AD’s take: “They’re trapped, and the writing becomes a shared joy. It also becomes a source of competition.” The Comedy of Errors Directed by Keira Loughran About: Two pairs of twins separated at birth, unaware of each other’s existence until they end up in the same city. With its gender-fluid casting, this is a fresh telling of the tale. AD’s take: Cimolino calls the production “an extremely exciting, delightful and very much new-world presentation.” Long Day’s Journey Into Night Director Miles Potter About: Eugene O’Neill’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama, starring Seana McKenna and Scott Wentworth, is one of the greats of literature. AD’s take: “This is a play about O’Neill’s family, a very personal play he didn’t want released for (25) years after his death. It looks at how the family dynamics in a loving family can trap individuals in anxiety and sorrow.”