The Stratford archives warehouse “What’s in the Stratford Festival archives? Do we even really know what archives are? Are we going to be looking at dusty photographs the whole time?” … These were all questions swirling around in our heads as we discussed our upcoming archives tour. We, Caroline and Sarah, were spendin…

What do you get when you mix the tale of Romeo and Juliet with a touch of Twelfth Night’s Viola, and then the story of Shakespeare himself? A smorgasbord of laughs, tears, and exploding ovaries. Directed by Declan Donnellan, Stratford Festival’s North American premiere of Shakespeare in Love is a witty, and surprisingl…

Something wicked (and wonderful) this way comes. The Stratford Festival opened its 2016 season with Macbeth last night at the Festival Theatre with a performance that satisfies cravings for the supernatural, sensual, and sanguinary from Shakespeare’s notoriously dark “Scottish Play”. Macbeth (Ian Lake) and members of t…

If you hate having fun, don’t go see Much Ado About Nothing by Make Art Theatre at the Hamilton Fringe Festival. This show is stuffed with good times, including villainous capes, ‘50s style greasers, and a really funny bit with some popcorn (spoiler: it ends up all over the floor). A condensed and updated version of Sh…

Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew presents a delicate decision for directors of our time to make: either condone the inherent sexism and celebration of male-dominance in the text or condemn it. This season at Stratford’s Festival Theatre, director Chris Abraham has taken a third option; he has chosen to ignore it.…