Ben Carlson News

The Stratford Festival is following up on the success of its recent Shakespeare Film Festival with a $10-a-month digital content subscription, Stratfest@Home, offering more Shakespeare and more films, along with new commissions, music, conversation, cooking and comedy.

Thanks to overwhelming demand, the Stratford Festival's 2020 production of Richard III will be extended for another three weeks, giving theatregoers more opportunities to see Colm Feore bring this iconic role to life in the Festival's brand new Tom Patterson Theatre, which opens this spring after more than two years of construction and fundraising.

With the new Tom Patterson Theatre taking shape on the banks of the Avon River, the Stratford Festival is thrilled to announce key casting as it builds the acting company for its monumental 2020 season.

The Stratford Festival is celebrating the World Premiere of Michael Healey's adaptation of Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur's THE FRONT PAGE at the Festival Theatre. A beloved American satire set in 1920's Chicago, THE FRONT PAGE tells the story of journalists in a courthouse pressroom doing whatever they need to do to get their story while at the same time being the only potential failsafe against political corruption at a time when the seedy Chicago subculture was in full swing. Directed by Graham Abbey, this adaptation is updated to include more diversity among the characters. It is a knee slapping night at the theatre whilst also providing a seemingly timeless commentary about the flaws and biases of the criminal justice system.

The Front Page, one of the great satires about the world of journalism, hits the stage in Stratford today, under the direction of Festival veteran Graham Abbey. Written by former Chicago reporters Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, and newly adapted by Canadian playwright Michael Healey, this comedy-drama is now in previews at the Festival Theatre and will officially open on Thursday, August 15.

Artistic Director Antoni Cimolino has announced key casting for the 2019 season, including Michael Blake as Othello and Amelia Sargisson as Desdemona in the season opener, Othello, one of Shakespeare's greatest and best-known tragedies.

Gallery Players kicks off its 52nd season with A CHORUS LINE, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.

Gallery Players kicks off its 52nd season with A CHORUS LINE, music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban and book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.

April is Shakespeare month! Marking both his birthday and passing on April 23rd, BroadwayHD, the premiere streaming platform for live theater, is highlighting its definitive collection of Shakespeare's productions.

Gallery Players announces the final show of its 51st season, the timely classic, Chess. It is an epic story set at the height of the Cold War, where two great chess masters-an American and a Russian-meet in Bangkok to battle for the world championship... but their greatest contest is for the love of one woman.

The very last production to ever open at the current incarnation of the Stratford Festival's Tom Patterson Theatre was David Edney's translation of Jean Giraudoux's THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT. Directed by Donna Feore, this was the world premiere of this translation. It boasts an excellent company and it explores themes and issues that are certainly relevant today.

This season at the Stratford Festival has proven to be a stellar one, and Jackie Maxwell's production of Thomas Middleton and William Rowley's THE CHANGELING on the Tom Patterson Theatre stage is no exception. The questionable morals and values of the characters, and the intense relationships between certain characters leave the audience feeling uncomfortable (as was likely intended by the playwrights) but the performances by the members of the company and the overall impact of the production itself, leaves the audience feeling exhilarated.

TIMON OF ATHENS opened at Stratford Festival's Tom Patterson Theatre on Friday night. It is probably one of the more relatable cautionary tales that Shakespeare has produced, which explains why the Festival continues to have it set in modern times. Director, Stephen Ouimette takes this production on for a second time, as he also directed it in Stratford in 2004. I did not have the opportunity to see his previous production, but this one is impressive.

Gallery Players announces the final show of its 50th season with the critically acclaimed and timely, Ragtime.  At the dawn of a new century, everything is changing…and anything is possible.  Ragtime comes to Brooklyn, a show which Bloomberg News has hailed as "explosive, thrilling and nothing short of a masterpiece.

Fans of The Crown on Netflix will love The Audience. In fact, they share the same writer (Peter Morgan wrote the Netflix series and is the playwright) though the projects are separated by a few years of development. In fact, some of the dialogue from the Netflix show is clearly lifted from the play.

BroadwayWorld has an exclusive first look at The Stratford Festival's new production of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC. In this clip, Sara Farb performs 'The Miller's Son.'

After a period of brisk advance sales to Members, the Stratford Festival is opening its box office to the public this Friday, January 8.

TARZAN, THE STAGE MUSICAL will play the White Plains Performing Arts Center tomorrow, December 18, through January 10, and is directed by Jeremy Quinn with music direction by Stephen Ferri and choreography by Lexie Fennell Frare. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

The White Plains Performing Arts Center's upcoming production of Tarzan, The Stage Musical plays the New York venue tonight, December 18, through January 10.