Thom Marriot

The tranquil village of St. Jacobs will become Hollywood North this fall with the arrival of an iconic television actor.

The tranquil village of St. Jacobs will become Hollywood North this fall with the arrival of an iconic television actor.

Something exciting has happened in the former Studio Arena Theatre, now known as Shea's 710 Theatre .The Shaw Festival, Canada's only Bi-National theatre company, has forged an alliance across the border with Shea's Buffalo Theatre to present one of their productions at 710 each season. Given the caliber of last night's opening of George Bernard Shaw's MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION, Buffalo has added another gem to it's theatre community. In it's heyday Studio Arena had a national reputation of presenting cutting edge theatre with world class actors and those who still remember that era should flock back downtown to witness 710's rebirth.

The Shaw Festival brings to life one of George Bernard Shaw's very own MRS. WARREN'S PROFESSION. Directed by Eda Holmes, the production tells the story of a young woman's discovery of her mother's line of work - prostitution, and the events that follow. Led by Nicole Underhay as the title character and Jennifer Szialoszynski as her daughter Vivie, the smart comedy brings this historically taboo play into 2016 with poise and a high level of sophistication.

A Woman of No Importance, Oscar Wilde's stylish comedy that exposes the cynicism and hypocrisy that underlies high "society", begins previews Sunday, May 29 at the Festival Theatre. This dangerous drama, directed by Eda Holmes, is the fourth major Wilde play to be presented under Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell's tenure - completing Wilde's brilliant, scalpel-like study of the world around him.

The Shaw Festival is known for dusting off old chestnuts and breathing new life into them. Unfortunately, its new production of Moss Hart's LIGHT UP THE SKY is  a chestnut better left in the attic to continue gathering dust.  Compared to his successful plays, like THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER  (with 739 Broadway performances) and YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU (838 performances), LIGHT UP THE SKY is a second string comedy that seems stale and dated. It's initial run on Broadway was only a modest success, running 200 performances, and revivals have not fared much better.

The Shaw Festival today announced principal casting and creative team details for its 54th season.

Theatre @ York presents a new imagining of Theatre Rusticle's critically-acclaimed The Stronger Variations, inspired by Swedish playwright August Strindberg's 1889 playette, The Stronger. Theatre Rusticle's artistic director Allyson McMackon directs the production, running November 10 to 16 in the Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre at York University.

Theatre @ York presents a sparkling new adaptation of The Knight of the Burning Pestle, a hilarious parody by 17th century playwright Francis Beaumont, re-imagined for contemporary audiences by director Timothy Askew. Lavish period costumes, romance, treachery and sword-fighting lay siege to York University's Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre tonight, January 20 to 26.

Theatre @ York presents a sparkling new adaptation of The Knight of the Burning Pestle, a hilarious parody by 17th century playwright Francis Beaumont, re-imagined for contemporary audiences by director Timothy Askew. Lavish period costumes, romance, treachery and sword-fighting lay siege to York University's Joseph G. Green Studio Theatre January 20 to 26.

His Girl Friday, John Guare's inspired combo of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's original play The Front Page and the screen version His Girl Friday, began previews Sunday at The Shaw's Festival Theatre

Misalliance, Bernard Shaw's cheeky social examination of Darwin's idea of Natural Selection and familial affiliations, previews today at the Royal George Theatre.

Playwrights Guild of Canada (PGC) and the Department of Theatre in York University's Faculty of Fine Arts have established a formal internship program to provide undergraduate students with hands-on experience in arts administration in a professional setting.

In the Spirit of George Bernard Shaw, the Shaw Festival provokes the mind and stirs the soul through a theatre experience so compelling that, year after year, ever broadening groups of artists, audiences and supporters are drawn to our work in Niagara-on-the-Lake and beyond.

For its 2009 season, The Shaw takes on a monumental and historic project with full productions of each play in Noel Coward?s famous Tonight at 8:30 collection. The Shaw?s 2009 productions represent the first time all ten short plays have been performed in repertory by a professional company since they were first produced by London?s Phoenix Theatre in 1935-36. The plays will be performed in sets of three, one on each of the Festival?s Niagara-on-the-Lake stages, with the tenth, the rarely produced Star Chamber, being the lunchtime production in the Royal George. And to celebrate this idea for the event that it is, on two separate occasions, we will present all ten in one day ? an event we are appropriately naming ?Mad Dogs and Englishmen?.

For its 2009 season, The Shaw takes on a monumental and historic project with full productions of each play in Noel Coward?s famous Tonight at 8:30 collection. The Shaw?s 2009 productions represent the first time all ten short plays have been performed in repertory by a professional company since they were first produced by London?s Phoenix Theatre in 1935-36. The plays will be performed in sets of three, one on each of the Festival?s Niagara-on-the-Lake stages, with the tenth, the rarely produced Star Chamber, being the lunchtime production in the Royal George. And to celebrate this idea for the event that it is, on two separate occasions, we will present all ten in one day ? an event we are appropriately naming ?Mad Dogs and Englishmen?.