Stratford Shakespeare Festival's TWELFTH NIGHT to Be Filmed for Canadian Movie Theatres

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival has just announced the filming of the 2011 production of Twelfth Night, directed by Artistic Director Des McAnuff. The  production will be screened exclusively at Cineplex and participating theatres across Canada in 2012.

The film will be produced and directed by Barry Avrich, who also produced the Festival's films  of Caesar and Cleopatra in 2008 and The Tempest in 2010.

"The nature of theatre is such that we practise our craft in the eternal present. After a production  closes it lives only in our memory, but this is a rare opportunity to capture it in a more enduring  medium," says Mr. McAnuff. "Twelfth Night has had an exuberant response from student and  adult audiences all season long. In fact we had to add a performance to help meet the demand for  tickets. I'm absolutely delighted that it will be the third production filmed during my tenure."

"In the past few years we have developed a strong relationship with Cineplex, releasing filmed  versions of our productions of Caesar and Cleopatra, The Tempest and now Twelfth Night," says  General Director Antoni Cimolino. "These screenings give people across Canada a taste of what  we do here in Stratford and an opportunity to see some of this country's finest artists at work."

"This stunning production beautifully filled the stage with an unyielding energy that makes the  transfer from stage to screen a natural rebirth," says Mr. Avrich.

"Cineplex audiences overwhelmingly embraced both previous Stratford productions," said Pat  Marshall, Vice-President Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. "We  are so pleased to once again feature this great Canadian institution and share Twelfth Night with our audiences across Canada."

Twelfth Night features Brian Dennehy as Sir Toby Belch, Stephen Ouimette as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Tom Rooney as Malvolio, Andrea Runge as Viola and Sara Topham as Olivia, with Ben Carlson as Feste, Trent Pardy as Sebastian, Cara Ricketts as Maria and Mike Shara
as Orsino.

Production sponsors include Violet Productions, Richard Rooney and the Slaight Family Foundation.

The music of Twelfth Night, written by Mr. McAnuff and Michael Roth, has been released on CD and is also available for download on CD Baby.

The Stratford Shakespeare Festival's 2011 season runs until November 6, featuring Camelot, Twelfth Night, The Misanthrope, The Grapes of Wrath, Jesus Christ Superstar and The Homecoming.